You're on the last lap of your run on the treadmill when suddenly you feel a sharp pain in your heel. You start looking around wondering if someone had just stabbed you in the foot. The lady to your left is clearly into her People magazine while walking. The dude to your right is on a full blown sprint, so it couldn't have been him. There's no one behind you. So what happened to your heel?

I wish I could tell you that it's all going to be okay and that it's just a fluke. But you've been already feeling the pain for a little while now. So what do you do? You've been resting your foot for a day, but that hasn't helped.

What you need to understand is that heel pain can be caused by a lot of things. But there is one thing in particular you have to watch out for, and those are heel spurs. Heels spur pain is very common in runners.

The repeated action of making high-impact contact on the treadmill, and any hard surface for that matter, is traumatic to your foot. Now I don't mean this in the psychologically damaging way. When your foot is subjected to high impact exercises like running on hard surfaces, you increase the chances of creating micro tears in the muscles in your feet and plantar fascia, which is one of the causes for inflammation.�

Plantar fascia is a sheet of connective tissue that connects the ball of your foot to you calcaneous bone (you heel bone). It runs along the arch of the foot and supports the arch and gives balance. Many people believe that the heel pain they're feeling is something that they can get just ignore it and push through it. This is not the way to take care of it.

By ignoring any kind of pain is not good. However, ignoring heel pain can lead to continued pain and even damage the connective tissue in your feet causing little calcium deposits. Heel spurs are these small calcium deposits that form on the bottom of your heel, right where the plantar fascia connects. The heel spurs then inhibit the connective tissue's flexibility, making it difficult to move freely. Because of this, the fascia has to compensate for movement.

What usually winds up happening is that the fascia stiffens. It becomes inflamed due to overuse and compensation. Then you're left with even more heel spur pain. Here's a solid tip that will help ease the tension and alleviate heel pain while running.

Foot baths are an excellent was to soothe the plantar fascia. Due to the constant impact of running, the pressure the feet feel are magnified compared to walking. With the built up pressure comes increased tension. Using epsom salt in your bath is a great choice. Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate and it has been proven over and over to help soothe muscle tension and soreness.

Bear in mind that although this is an amazing tip to get rid of your heel pain, you'll have to be diligent and monitor the health of your feet. Pay attention to how your feet feel. If you notice a change, and it's not for the good, then seeking other alternatives is going to have to take priority. Treating heel pain takes consistency. It may be a pain (pun intended), but the reward is relief.