Dr. Steven Lam, D.P.M.

Typically, people that have pain in their heels first thing in the morning or after prolonged activity suffer from a condition called Plantar Fasciitis (http://www.capitalregionfootcare.com/heel-pain). Heel spurs do not cause the pain, it's due to the inflammed tissue around the heels that causes the symptoms. Soaking in epsom salts will not resolve the problem. Typically, plantar fasciitis needs to be treated with focused plantar fascia specific stretches (which you can find online), rest, and possibly anti-inflammatory medications. This is a condition which does not go away overnight and needs diligent treatment and care to resolve.

Hammertoes and bunion are caused by a combination of genetics and environment. Certain foot types are more prone to bunions and wearing certain shoes (such as pointy ended or high heeled) can influence the foot to create a bunion/hammertoe scenario. However, not all bunions and hammertoes need surgery. I have seen patients with terrible bunions, who have no discomfort and are presenting for something totally unrelated. The mitigating factors are really shoe gear and activity. If you can wear shoes with a wide toe box, that should limit the pressure on your toe/toes and reduce your symptoms/prevent worsening. Unfortunately, there is no splinting or bracing options that have proven to be effective in preventing bunion and hammertoe formation.

Swelling in the ankles is a result of fluid build up in the tissues. When you are on your feet for extended periods of time, or have feet in a dependent position, gravity pulls the fluid in your body down, causing your ankles to swell. This is oftentimes a normal condition that can be relieved by elevating your feet, wearing light compression stockings, and even by contracting the muscles in the back of your leg (called the gastrocnemius muscles) via toe raises, to help push the fluid up.
Excessive swelling can also be caused by too much salt intake, certain medications, vascular conditions, or even kidney and heart abnormalities. It is important for you to identify whether your swelling is "normal", or due to an underlying medication issue. This can be done by contacting your health care provider for evaluation.

You didn't identify where your foot hurts, whether it is the top, ball, arch or heel, but pain that is present in the heel first thing in the morning, or when getting up after sitting, is usually a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. This condition occurs when a ligament on the bottom of your foot, called the plantar fascia, is tight and becomes inflamed over time due to activity. The pain that you experience first thing in the morning is called post static dyskinesia, and is a classic sign of Plantar Fasciitis. When you are sleeping, your foot relaxes and rests in a plantarflexed or downward position. This position releases tension but also shortens the ligament. When you first step down, it then pulls at the insertion on your heel, causing the pain.
Plantar Fasciitis can typically be managed with stretching exercises, anti-inflammatory medications, and activity restrictions/modifications. If the condition persists for a long period of time without treatment, a heel spur can form, and other modalities to treat the condition, such as cortisone injections, physical therapy, custom orthotics, and immobilization, may become necessary.
My suggestion is for you to do a google search on "plantar fasciitis stretching exercises", and pick a couple that you can do daily. I usually recommend holding the stretch for 10 seconds at a time, and repeating 10-15 times a day. If you can do a few stretches before you get out of bed, it can reduce the pain associated with post static dyskinesia. If your symptoms do not improve with stretching after a few weeks, you should definitely schedule an appointment with your local podiatrist to have this treated.

Thickened toe nails are usually caused by either fungal infection (termed onychomycosis) or trauma (such as stubbing the toe or microtrauma from tight shoes). In your case, the nail procedure that was performed for ingrown toe nails may have traumatized the nail bed (where the nail grows out from), subsequently affecting the appearance of the nail itself. Or, you may have picked up a fungal infection in the nails (very common - 38 million Americans have nail fungus).
The only way to truly know if your nails have fungus is to go to your podiatrist, have a nail sample taken and submitted to a lab for identification. The lab will be able to differentiate whether there is fungus present in the nail or not. If there is no fungus, your nail bed was damaged by the nail procedure and may take time to improve, or may never improve. If there is fungus present, it is harmless (an estimated 38 million Americans have nail fungus), but can be treated with either topical antifungal medication or oral antifungal medication.