Below are just a few messages that have been sent to us by some of our patients telling you about their care with Agoura Los Robles Podiatry Centers (used with their permission)
June 2021
“Dr Payne is the best foot doctor, with good bedside manner. He’s super smart and a Dodger fan!!!!
His office staff are great. I don’t remember all the names, but not one of them is a prima donna like in many doctor’s offices.
Marina, Sue are two I remember. Kelly, one of Dr Payne’s medical assistants, is my special pal. She has all kinds of tricks to help with my feet and she is super nice.”
-Kiki L.
June 2020
“Such a pleasure to entrust my care with Dr. Zapf. He quickly assessed my foot problem (Morton’s Neuroma) and explained options to deal with it. We decided to postpone surgery through cortisone shots to get me through the ski season. When I had surgery to remove the nerve, he and his staff efficiently and expertly took care of the problem. He has always been available for questions and explained the process in terms I can understand. No more pain and I can ski pain-free again!”
-Margie O.
June 2018
“Took our 12 year-old son with some messed up toenails to Dr. Payne. He was amazingly great. Our son was nervous going in, but the staff was friendly and made him feel comfortable from the moment we walked in.
Dr. Payne’s bedside manner was excellent. He draped a shield in front of the feet so our son couldn’t see the “scary” stuff 🙂 and was extremely concerned with making sure he was comfortable.
Before leaving he and his staff were very thorough in making sure we had all the information we needed regarding the care we needed to do at home. They followed up later to make sure things were going well.
Would definitely recommend to anyone needing foot care!”
-Patrick, Simi Valley
“I recently fell and broke 6 bones in my right foot. After 2 referrals I met Dr. Stephen Benson. I must say that he is an amazing and brilliant doctor. His knowledge, style, and humor are great, and he is by far one of the best doctors that I have met.
I would recommend Dr. Stephen Benson without hesitation. Both of his offices (Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks) are impressively clean and well-outfitted. And his staff are helpful and friendly.
Beyond Dr. Benson’s expertise and knowledge, I was very impressed by the way that he interacted with me. He was not rushed, and he treated me as though I was the only patient there.
You won’t find a better doctor than Dr. Stephen Benson”
-Paul H., Simi Valley
“My experience was great. I obtained all the forms online so check in was a breeze. Everyone was friendly and efficient. Dr. Payne handled all my issues quickly and relatively painlessly and the check out process was also a breeze. It couldn’t have been better. ”
-Michael, Oak Park
Dr. Payne is very thorough doesn’t make you feel rushed and has a good sense of humor I appreciate the fact that even waiting a little extra time for the appointment they acknowledge that you had to wait, to me that shows great attention to customer care.”
August 2018
“My late husband was a frequent patient of Dr. Darren Payne before he passed. I recall many times sitting in the chair next to him and listen to him banter with Dr. Payne who knew my son from high school. Recently when I had small foot problems, he is the doc I decided to go to. I was welcomed with open arms by his caring assistant, Kellee. It tugged my heart a bit to be sitting in the BIG chair with no one beside me. All is well, and I received good, helpful information for my tootsies.”
-Sherrill, Thousand Oaks
“My visit with your office was lovely, considering the problem with my foot. Dr. Benson quickly diagnosed my problem and Tommy did an amazing job taping up my injured foot. I would highly recommend your office to anyone who needs a podiatrist. I will also state the office staff are friendly, efficient and professional.”
-Janine, Newbury Park
“Dr. Payne did a fantastic job with my bunionectomy. He listened to me and explained everything very well with a great bedside manner.The office staff is very helpful,professional and runs on time.”
-Danica, Thousand Oaks
“I cannot say enough wonderful things about both Dr. Benson and his staff at Agoura Los Robles Podiatry. My son had an accident on a Friday night and we were referred to Dr. Benson. On Saturday, we called his office and left a message. Dr. Benson returned our call that same day and took a look at the x-rays at the hospital and told us to come in first thing Monday morning.
Once at his office, the staff were friendly, efficient and great to work with. Dr. Benson was knowledgeable and put our fears to rest. He is kind, gentle and has a wonderful bedside manner.
We had to change doctors due to matters out of both our and Dr. Benson’s hands, but he and his staff made the transition easy and seamless. We never felt bad or were ignored. The same care we received when our son was a patient stayed true even when we were changing doctors.
I would recommend Dr. Benson and his staff to any and everyone. Absolutely the best care anywhere!!!!! Thank you Agoura-Los Robles Podiatry!!!!”
-Suzie B., Thousand Oaks
January 2018
From Dr Zapf:
“MM is a 71-year-old gentleman who had severe pain of a “7-9”in his right foot even after doctors at another HMO facility did an open plantar fascia surgery with heel spur excision. The pain that I found, however, was not at the location of the plantar fascia but was higher toward his ankle. I diagnosed posterior tibial deficiency. MM took this diagnosis back to his HMO doctor who recommended a surgery for posterior tibial deficiency. MM remembered that I told him about our MLS Laser that has two different wavelengths of light, one to stop pain and another to cause injured tissues to heal. He went ahead and paid for 15 sessions. He is delighted to report that he is 70% better, can walk and exercise with minimal pain and has eliminated, for now, the need for a surgery. His last laser session was more than a month prior to his recent visit with me so the laser treatments seem to be more than a “flash in the pan”. He is contemplating going back for a few more sessions to see if he can get the pain down lower than his current “2-3”. He understands that he can go back for more sessions whenever he feels he needs them. He understands that unlike cortisone injections or anti-inflammatory pills, there is no reason why he cannot have repeat sessions of the laser, if needed. He is currently at 15 sessions and plans to do 3 more. While most people are good with the first 12 sessions, some need a few more. We find that the MLS laser therapy works well in a lot of cases where surgery is contemplated but not wanted. If you have a musculoskeletal ache or pain that is not responding to regular therapy, why not consider trying the new and powerful MLS Laser Therapy. With out physical therapists the MLS can be used for backs, shoulders, hips and knees.”
September 2017
“Dr. Zapf performed a microfaciotomy on my right foot in November 2016. I had been suffering with plantar fasciitis for almost a decade and had gotten to the point where my quality of life was severely impacted. Even with prior trials of PT, several expensive medical orthotics and several cortisone shots, still, I was no longer able to enjoy activities that included walking or standing for more than a short period of time. I was ready to make the leap of faith and accept that I may need surgery on my foot. I have to admit that I was extremely apprehensive about surgery, but Dr. Zapf was very thorough in his explanation of the facts and left the decision and timing up to me. Honestly, with Dr. Zapf’s technique, I wish I would have done it sooner. I left his office walking on the foot he did the procedure on and just kept walking! There is certainly an initial healing time, but now I am more active than I have been in 10 years! I’ve gone back to the gym,and even have a personal trainer putting me through the paces! I’m going on long hikes, and long walks with my family, and I am pain free. I’m still a good patient and wear my orthotics and good sneakers. I am very careful when I chose dress shoes, and I don’t go barefoot a lot, but these are my choices as I am very protective of my feet! I am very grateful to Dr. Zapf and his kind staff. I have recommended him to friends and now my husband goes to him for his ankle problem! ”
From L.L., Thousand Oaks.
” March 1, 2013
For your information:
My son has been troubled with warts on the bottom of his foot for over 3 years. For two years we went to the dermatologist every 4-6 weeks and they were continually frozen, treated topically and orally and still did not clear up, in fact were spreading. The location of the warts on the bottom of his feet and toes were getting worse with sports activities, sweating, and working. Our dermatologist recommended Agoura Los Robles Podiatry Centers and the laser treatment that is done for warts. This was wonderful and after a few seconds of treatments, they were killed off turned black and came off and have not returned. A few others have popped up since then and we had the laser treatment again and they are gone. This is a simple, fast, non evasive procedure and only somewhat painful. We are so very happy that we could use this procedure to help kill off the warts.
Greg Curtis
Thousand Oaks, CA”
“June 2014
Hi. I am a 13 year old kid who had over 4 planters warts disapear through Dr. Zapf’s laser treatment. I liked the treatment method because the pain was only for a short time and the laser did not leave any open wounds. Right after the appointment I could go to my water polo practice without the warts hurting. After about two weeks the planters warts became black and just fell off painlessly. Overall I would recommend this treatment to anyone that has any sort of warts or other foot problems.
Brandon”
“Dear Dr. Zapf,
I want to thank you for the braces. When I came to you, I was in so much pain I could not walk more than 30 steps and could not sleep at night without medication.
Now I can walk, use an elliptical exercise machine and a recumbent bike. I can sleep through the night without pain.
These braces are a gift of mobility for me. I am so proud of them that I tell people about them and at times even show them.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you
Doug Dickson”
“I was genetically blessed with two outstanding bunions by my beloved mother. Being an avid walker, I could no longer manage the sharp pains in my feet. The quality of my life was in decline. Dr. Zapf explained at first very conservative approaches to the care of my bunions and bone spurs. However, I elected to have two foot surgeries two months apart. Dr. Zapf and staff, along with their dry senses of humor, “walked me” through each “step” of the journey. With some personal organization, the procedures were both manageable and the stress on my family minimal. I received a huge sympathy vote that resulted in diva treatment. The foot surgeries turned out to be both miracles because all my foot pain is gone! Physical therapy was so beneficial to the process…I can not praise my Physical Therapist enough for her knowledge and help. So I have invested in a beautiful pair of designer sandals to wear on my boutique feet. Here is looking forward to summer….
Nadeen Fisher, Ph.D.”
“I generally do not participate in the social media but on special circumstances it is warranted. I want to share with my community the excellent experiences I have had with the Agoura-Los Robles Podiatry Centers in both Agoura and Thousand Oaks offices.
Dr. Zapf has been treating me for several years. Without exception my visits with him have been very personalized, informative sessions where he has consistently taken the time to answer my questions fully, offer all alternative treatment plans and to even visit with me on a personal nature and discuss matters in a way that two friends would do if they were having coffee together. I feel welcomed as a person…not a billing chart…by him and everyone in his offices.
Recently Dr. Benson, assisted by Dr. Payne, performed a substantial reconstructive surgery on my foot. The outcome exceeded my expectations. I am grateful to them for my health and ability to walk again without pain after many years of restricted and painful mobility. These guys are great!
At this point, it would appear that my need for ongoing treatment has come to an end with this recent successful surgery… but that isn’t going to stop me for dropping in to say hello and keep in touch with all the staff. I know that I would be welcomed.
The short of it is “if your foot hurts… take it to these guys”! You will be treated professionally, compassionately, and personably that makes them truly unique!”
Richard Van Sickle