Kidney Pain: Symptoms and Treatment

The kidneys are located at the posterior of human abdomen, just below the rib cage. It is found that most of the times, people confuse kidney pain with back pain. Kidney pain is observed in the upper back and it is a sudden agonizing pain. The back pain is followed by urinary problems. The following are two significant causes of kidney pain.

Kidney Stone

Substances like uric acid, calcium or cystine, when in excess, do not get washed out from the body. They get accumulated in the bladder and get converted into stones. Theses stones get stuck in the ureter and prevent the flow of urine. This causes swelling in the kidneys and results in extreme pain. Dehydration is the most common cause of kidney stone. Pain experienced due to kidney stone is extremely severe. The patient cannot hold himself still. Pain in abdomen and groin is experienced.

Other Symptoms

• Urinary abnormalities like blood in urine, abnormal urine color, etc. are observed.
• Symptoms like vomiting and nausea are seen as wastes get accumulated in blood.
• Swelling is found on hands, feet or even face.

Treatment

Abdominal X-ray, abdominal CT scan and MRI can help in detecting the presence of kidney stone. A kidney ultrasound can also be used for that purpose.There are various techniques available to treat kidney stone. Depending on the size and severity of the kidney stone, the doctor decides the treatment that can be given. Kidney pain can be minimized by getting rid of the stone.

• Drinking lot of water can help in excretion of the stone that is small in size (5mm).Allopurinol, a drug, is used to eliminate the uric acid stone.
• Diuretics help to wash away excess water from the body. It also helps to get rid of the stone from the body.
• If the stone is large in size, surgery is required. Ureteroscopic surgery is one of the techniques used for the removal of kidney stone, wherein a long scope is inserted into the bladder through the urethra and the stone is pulled out.
• Lithotripsy is another surgical method used for the removal of stone. It uses shock waves to crush the stone inside the body. Later, it gets washed out from the body through urine. It is one of the frequently used techniques.
Prevention
• One should drink a lot of water everyday (6-8 glasses). One should also consume melons and cucumbers, as they have high water content.
• Calcium supplements should be taken only in the prescribed amount. Excessive calcium gets stored causing kidney stone.
• Fish, meat and poultry should also be consumed in appropriate amounts to prevent uric acid stone.
The other major cause of kidney pain is kidney infection. The following are its symptoms and treatment.

Pyelonephritis (Kidney Infection)

Pyelonephritis is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI). It is caused when the urine flows back into the ureter. It is a bacterial infection and results in inflammation and kidney pain. The infection can also be chronic. The chances of kidney infection are high, if a person has a kidney stone. The infection causes kidneys to swell and sharp, aching pain is experienced. Back/flank pain and abdominal pain is the most significant symptom.

Other Symptoms
• Urination problems like painful urination, frequent urination, nocturia (excessive urination at night), etc are observed.
• Along with these major symptoms, other symptoms like fever, chills, fatigue, nausea and vomiting are also seen. Loss of appetite also leads to weight loss.
Treatment

Blood culture and other urine tests help to detect the presence of bacteria in kidney. Completing a strict course of antibiotics is the only treatment to kill bacteria and control the infection. Amoxicillin and cephalosporin are the commonly used antibiotics.

The other diseases that have kidney pain as their characteristic feature are renal tuberculosis, renal cancer and simple kidney cysts. Injury to kidney can also cause kidney pain. One should look out for symptoms before starting on the treatment. The available treatments will definitely minimize the kidney pain. It should also be noted that pain eases once the infection is cured or the kidney stone is removed.