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.

01/08/2012

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This article was written for a very short lived publication in our town called Mountain's and Valleys. I think it was published about 1996

What’s A Podiatrist?

By: Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH

 At a chamber mixer the other week I heard a question that is becoming quite rare. On learning that I was a podiatrist a new acquaintance asked me, “What’s a podiatrist?” After regaining my dignity and answering him fully (I talked until his eyes glazed over -it only took a few minutes) I reflected on the question. Only a few short years ago it was estimated that only 5% of the population knew who we were. Today, in many locations, we have become the foot experts. A recent Medicare survey of 20 million Medicare recipients stated that podiatrists did approximately 70% of all foot surgeries with orthopedists, internists and family doctors combined only doing 30%. How did this all come about? I think my inaugural article in Mountains and Valley’s might be a good time to tell you.

 Our roots are with the guild of barber surgeons in the middle ages. In those days your physician was not a surgeon and, if fact, thought surgery demeaning. For surgery, say an amputation or a little bloodletting, you went to your barber. If your barber was trained in surgery he would advertise that fact with a red and white barber pole. The red stripe stood for blood and the white for bandages.

 As medicine evolved surgery was added to the physician’s training. The guild of barber surgeons broke up into specialized areas: cosmetic hair cutting, dentistry (in some cases) and chiropodists who cared for hands and feet. Schools of~ chiropody were started in the late 1600s.

 In the early 1900s a bright chiropodist wondered if a corn would go away if the bone under it removed. He tried it and it worked. Surgical chiropody was born.

 By the mid 1900s surgery was an integral part of the surgical training of chiropodists. To distinguish this new expert in foot surgery the name was changed to podiatrist.

 Today every podiatric medical student is trained in surgical techniques. Many go on to do a residency concentrating in foot surgery at any one of several hundred hospitals across the country. Some states, like California, require residency training for licensure.

 Today most of us do a variety of surgery on the foot from a little laser procedure for an ingrown nail to complete foot re­constructions. On reflection it is quite impressive to note how far the profession has come. It makes me confident enough not to startle when asked “What’s a podiatrist? However, please don’t ask me to “take a little off the side”. That might make me want to do a little bloodletting of my own.

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Dr. Michael Zapf is a podiatrist with a private practice in Agoura. He teaches part time at the LAC/USC Medical Center. For more information call his office at (818) 707-3668.

Send mail to (zfootdoc at doctor dot com) with questions or comments about this web site.
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