Kidney pain is generally felt in the back i.e. the renal angle and the flanks. The renal angle is the place below the last rib in the back of an individual. It is an imaginary angle made for anatomical location for kidney.
Most often kidney back pain is due to kidney stones, but in some cases the pain can be due to other reasons such as, kidney infection, movable kidney etc.
Kidney stone pain is excruciating in nature, those who suffer it will remember it for lifetime. The pain is sudden, and radiates to the lower side of abdomen.
In some cases if the stone moves from the kidney, to the ureter, the pain can radiate down to the penis.
Symptoms Of Kidney Stone Pain
First and foremost sign of kidney stone in all the cases is pain. This is usually present in all the types of stones. Other symptoms which can be present include:
- Dark red urine.
- Vomiting.
- Fever with chills.
- Perspiration.
- Increased blood pressure.
- Increased pulse rate.
Kidney stones are usually fixed and the position is in the renal angle in posterior back, in the hypochondria anterior abdomen or in both situations simultaneously. It is often worse on movement, particularly on walking upstairs.
- Ureteric colic is a sudden and agonizing. The pain usually passes from the loin to the groin. The person is compelled to draw his knees up and roll over it. Most common symptoms along pain are vomiting. There is profuse sweat and twisting sensation in abdomen. Pulse rate in increased and there can be fever associated in some cases. Bouts of colic often recur for several hours and occasionally continue for more than 24hrs.
- Pyuria (pus in urine) – Infection of kidney is liable to supervene and pus will be found in the urine in varying amounts. When a large phosphate calculus is present, the passage of turbid urine, which on examination is found to contain pus cells, is sometimes the leading feature.
What Causes Kidney Pain?
- Stones.
- Infection.
- Movable kidney.
Stone are formed due to excessive calcium deposits. The size of the stone may vary from a small grain to a size of a marble.
If the size of stone is more than 5 mm, doctors advise its surgical removal through shock wave treatment. If the size is below this, drinking water liberally, cranberry juice and other juice will help the removal of the calculi.
Colic may also be caused by the passage of a shower of oxalate crystals, e.g. after eating an excess of strawberries or rhubarb.