Hi dibblego,
First off I can't believe a surgeon had never heard of a peroneal nerve entrapment!
Secondly, like you said surgeons typically have good surgical skills but poor diagnostic skills. I'm not sure if your aware but doctors are split into two groups - physicians and surgeons. Physicians diagnose and surgeons cut!
In future if you have an injury your best bet is to go to a sports physician as they have the musculoskeletal knowledge and diagnostic abilitiy to correctly diagnose you.