I have had a bunionectomy (and associated surgery) on one foot. I wear prescription orthotics in my shoes and sandals now in order to put off a probable second surgery on my other foot. I don't wear shoes in training, unless outside. I can get by barefoot on the mats, and prefer the feel of contact on the ground. The recommendation to use an orthopedic -- sports oriented! -- surgeon is a good one, I think. Even with a good surgeon and relatively healthy body, it takes WEEKS to recover. In my case, I had a pin inserted through the big toe and most of the length of the foot to aid in recovery. I BENT the pin because I tried doing handstand pushups before the pin came out and came down on the pin ... DON'T do that! Pluses: no more significant pain in the problem foot. Can run, practice martial arts, lift weights, walk for miles. Minuses: some loss of mobility in the foot, lifetime requirement of orthotics, etc. Look into _Healthy Martial Arts_ by Dr. Jolie Bookspan. She advocates foot-strengthening rather than orthotics and surgery. ...
