Dr. Vladimir Zeetser, DPM, FACFAS Biomechanics and Gait Analysis Lab

The practice is led by Dr. Vladimir Zeetser, DPM, FACFAS, a board-certified podiatric physician and surgeon focused on the foot and ankle. The Encino office sits on the east side of Balboa Boulevard just south of the 101 freeway, with parking at the front of the building and free parking on Balboa Boulevard and nearby side streets. A second location in Cudahy houses a biomechanics and gait analysis lab.

Services cover reconstructive surgery for structural deformities, whether congenital or acquired, aimed at reducing pain, and aesthetic foot surgery for deformities that are not currently painful. Common reconstructive procedures include bunion, hammertoe, stiff big toe, tailor's bunion, flatfoot and ball of foot correction, along with arthritis repair, fracture and tendon trauma surgery, and second opinions. Wound care and limb salvage are also offered for diabetic foot wounds, venous wounds and pressure sores.

Aesthetic procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, usually under conscious sedation with local anesthesia rather than general or spinal anesthesia, and most patients go home the same day. Asclera injections for spider and reticular veins involve no incisions and usually take 15 to 45 minutes depending on the number of veins treated. According to the practice, Asclera is not suitable for larger varicose veins, for pregnant patients, or for people with certain medical conditions.

The practice treats patients of all ages, including children and older adults, and says it has seen patients travelling from across the US and from several countries abroad. A travel information page is available for out-of-town patients. Appointments and consultations can be requested by phone at 818-907-6100, through the contact form, or booked online, and online payments are accepted. Saturday appointments run from 9am to 2pm. Insurance listed includes Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Health Net, UnitedHealthcare and other PPO plans, with cash pay and Medicare also listed as options.

The practice describes its doctor as America's premier foot and ankle surgeon. That is the practice's own description rather than an independent rating.

Consultations include a thorough evaluation and a detailed explanation of findings, and the practice builds a treatment plan around each patient, who takes part in the decision. Surgery is approached with the aim of being minimally invasive and minimally painful, with attention to recovery and to the aesthetic result alongside the primary condition.