Welcome to the Website of

Dr. Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS

 Thank you for visiting my website. I have been placing information and articles on this site for many years and have received millions of  hits during that time (and not that many of them were mine). I have designed it for people who like to read about their foot and ankle problems. Since I started the web site, I have added two associates to my practice, Dr. Darren Payne and Dr. Stephen Benson.  Since my site is filled with just my thoughts and opinions they are not, necessarily, shared by my colleagues. To see our less controversial (and less windy) practice web site, I offer you: www.ConejoFeet.com, the practice site for The Agoura Los Robles Podiatry Centers (ALRPC). The ALRPC practice site has a lot of material about our office, many of our policies and the registration forms to be filled out before your visit. I suggest all prospective patients visit www.ConejoFeet.com.

 I made the web site to give my patients the extra depth information that I don’t always have time to cover in the office visit. Visitors who are not my patients are welcome to browse the information found here. My younger colleagues are both under 50 and they, like many their age, do not favor in depth reading. They prefer their information presented to them in a few short, crisp bullet points. I, being of the, ahem, older generation, like to read about my ailments in greater depth. Here, I present the greater depth. If you ask a question about heel pain or bunions that I have not answered in my two monographs, I will quickly add it so that it is as complete as I can make it. If you agree with this philosophy, welcome to my page. If you correspond with me please let me know if you like the in depth reporting.

 Remember, this site is in no way intended to tell you how your own ailment or problem should be treated, only the approach I use when confronted with certain situations. Your problem may well be different from what you think it is and should always be evaluated by the appropriate professional, whether podiatrist, orthopedist or other authority. Please understand that I, nor anyone else, can offer you a proper diagnosis or treatment plan without seeing and feeling the problem at hand (foot?).  Happy reading.

 Sincerely, Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM

 P.S. All the information in this web site is © by me and it is mine alone. No picture or any of the articles cannot be used by anyone without permission from me, personally.

 


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ACORN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE April 1996

The Right Way To Fix A Corn

By: Michael Zapf, D.P.M., M.P.H., F.A.C.F.O.

Maybe you saw the story that appeared in all the media last month about a 38 year old woman in Muncie, Indiana who used a unique way to remove a callus from her foot. After a bit of Kentucky "corn derived" pre-anesthesia, Bonnie Booth went into her back yard and, well, (I am not making this up - I have the newspaper clipping to prove it) shot the callus off with a 10-gague shotgun. No matter what else you might think - she did remove the callus. And the hospital reported that she was in good condition. Kids, do not try this at home. This is not what I consider a good example of out-patient surgery.

Contrast this with Sheree. I received a phone call Saturday at 9:00 a.m. from my service. It seems that a young lady, Sheree, had a toe that was killing her and kept her awake all night. I know from experience that a toe that suddenly starts to kill usually has a corn that became infected. At 11:00 a.m. I saw her at my office (try that with your HMO).

True to form, Sheree had an infected corn that will resolve quickly with a little cleaning and some antibiotics. Her corn was on the inside of the little toe just behind the toe nail. It had been present and hurting on an off for years but Sheree never knew there was treatment available besides corn pads and wider shoes. This particular little corn is quite annoying and quite common. Fortunately a simple office procedure can eliminate the corn and its inherent risk of infection. The corn is caused by a tiny underlying bone spur. Under local anesthesia the spur can be shaved off with a small ¼" incision. The single stitch used to close the wound is removed in a few days and patients can return to regular shoes.

Patients are continually impressed with the lack of pain and the high degree of success of this mini spur-ectomy. As soon as we are sure the infection is cleared and a safe time has passed to make sure it is gone, Sheree will have the procedure. However, if she chooses a more radical approach to corn removal, I bet there is a more rustic tool to do it in a pawn shop somewhere in Muncie.

Dr. Michael Zapf is a board certified podiatrist with offices in Agoura and Thousand Oaks. For more information you can call his office at (818) 707-3668.

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Copyright © 2000 Michael A. Zapf, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., F.A.C.F.AOA.M.
Last modified: January 08, 2012