So,
I managed to get a consultation with a podiatrist to examine my feet in the States, since I'm in the country for the week. My main concern was the issue that I've had with my left toe since the initial surgery date. While the toe was completely paralysed and immobile at that time, it has since come back to a certain extent.
My right toe can extend upward 70 degrees, but my left one can only extend 30 degrees. He gave me some exercises and advised me to seek out a podiatrist back home as soon as possible to determine root causes and more permanent corrections. I won't be able to do that until mid-Novemeber.
He also stressed to me the importance of having a functional hallucis extensor as it relates to gait and proper bio-mechanics. He said it is why I limp when I walk, because the foot is unable to place the tendons in their loaded states and allow the foot to roll off the toe. He said if I don't have it corrected, I'll develop a plethora of ailments extending from toe all the way to the neck, as the body compensates for the deformity.
What's upsetting to me is that Sringari tried to soothe my qualms by telling me it is a "passive muscle" that will have no bearing on my walking mechanics. It really wasn't a concern to him. I told the podiatrist this and he just grinned and shook his head. Sringari pretty much discredited his whole education by making that statement it seems.
The good news is that since it is not completely disabled, he believes there is a good chance at re-obtaining full range of motion. He also advised me to undergo a nerve conduction test and ultrasound to verify the integrity of the peroneal and tibial nerves. He said he cannot diagnose the root cause without these tests, but said something was definitely botched during surgery.
http://rhbandphysicalmedicine.blogspot.com/2011/09/halux-limitus-rigidus-big-toe-rules.html