Hi all, I'm more of a lurker here but I hoped you guys might have some feedback for me.

I'm a fairly seasoned cyclist at this point but I'm experiencing some comfort/ergonomics issues that I think should be resolvable.

Details
me: 26 y/o male, 6' 155lb
riding style: no racing atm but 30-100mi fast group rides 2-3/week
bike: 61cm quattro assi, slammed 130mm stem, thomson setback seatpost with seat slammed back (so, relaxed position with a lot of saddle to bar drop and reach)
pedals: look keo 2 max carbon (most recent version with stainless steel wear plate)
cleat: look keo grip cleats, 9° float, (sidi fixing bolts)
shoe: SIDI Genius 5, 44.5
footbed: specialized body geometry, blue for medium arch support
crank: Ritchey WCS compact

Comfort issues:
Pressure point just behind ball of foot, seems to correspond with the rear edge of the cleat. However, the cleat mates nearly perfectly with the curve of the shoe outsole with no gaps. Same issue with stock Sidi footbeds, which are much thinner.

Difficulty unclipping:
Unclipping with my left foot is HARD. I have the pedals set to the lightest possible retention, but I feel like I have to throw a ton of weight out to the side to release them. This is no fun because I've had two knee surgeries on the left knee, unrelated to cycling. Clipping in is no problem. I've checked for dimensional differences/wear between right and left pedals, and right and left cleats.

I know my left leg is still weaker than my right from having surgery. Its a contributing factor, but I know its not the issue because my cleat is forcibly being rotated out of position on the shoe, despite properly greased and torqued fixing bolts (I'm using SIDI brand bolts).

I've tried taking a file to the engagement/release surfaces on the cleat, no real effect. Problem seems exacerbated in dusty conditions.

A friend mentioned that the elastomeric overmold on the Keo Grip cleats are to blame, however this is a feature that I'd like to keep since I live in a 3rd floor apartment w/stairs. I kindof refuse to believe that since these are a LOOK product used by many people. The pedals only have 5,000 miles on them, with new cleats. The problem only cropped up this season.

I'd be willing to try the non-grip cleats, but I can't find them locally in 9° float, and I don't want to wipe out going up and down stairs. I'm worried its a problem with the pedal. At the moment I'm coping by trackstanding... all the time so I only have to actually unclip at the end of a ride, but its definitely a safety issue and a knee health issue.

I wanted to ping you guys about this to see if anyone had similar problems with Look Keo 2 Max pedals, or with Keo Grip cleats.

Thanks,
Sean

Similar products used without issue:
Shimano Ultegra 6600 SPD-SL
Shimano 105 5600 SPD-SL
Look Delta
Look Arc
Carnac shoes
Diadora shoes (which sucked btw)
SIDI Dominator 5
Shimano SPD M520

Bike setup: