Where Are My Kidneys Located At

What Are The First Signs Of Kidney Problems

Most kidney problems dont have signs in their early stages. As kidney damage progresses, you may notice:

• Cramping muscles: Electrolyte imbalances cause your muscles to stiffen.
• Dark urine or urine with blood in it: Damage to your kidneys filters lets blood cells leak into your urine.
• Foamy urine: Bubbles in your pee can signal excess protein.
• Itchy, dry skin: An imbalance of minerals and nutrients in your blood leads to itchy skin.
• More frequent urination: Problems filtering waste cause you to pee more often.
• Puffy eyes or swollen ankles and feet: Reduced kidney function can cause your body to hold onto protein and sodium, resulting in swelling.
• Sleep problems, fatigue and lack of appetite: If toxins build up in your blood, your sleep, appetite and energy levels may be off.

What Happens If My Kidneys Fail

If your kidneys fail, that means they have completely stopped doing their job to filter waste from your blood. Kidney failure is also called end-stage renal disease. Waste may build up in your blood and cause health problems, such as:

If this happens, you will need to start dialysis or have a kidney transplant to live.

What Is Kidney Pain

Kidney pain is discomfort near your kidneys. Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs located just below your ribcage, on each side of your spine. Kidney pain doesnt always mean theres a problem with your kidneys specifically but it does usually indicate an issue somewhere in your urinary system.

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Prevention Of Future Stones

Once your health care provider finds out why you are forming stones, he or she will give you tips on how to prevent them. This may include changing your diet and taking certain medications. There is no “one-size-fits-all” diet for preventing kidney stones. Everyone is different. Your diet may not be causing your stones to form. But there are dietary changes that you can make to stop stones from continuing to form.

Diet Changes

Drink enough fluids each day.

If you are not producing enough urine, your health care provider will recommend you drink at least 3 liters of liquid each day. This equals about 3 quarts . This is a great way to lower your risk of forming new stones. Remember to drink more to replace fluids lost when you sweat from exercise or in hot weather. All fluids count toward your fluid intake. But it’s best to drink mostly no-calorie or low-calorie drinks. This may mean limiting sugar-sweetened or alcoholic drinks.

Knowing how much you drink during the day can help you understand how much you need to drink to produce 2.5 liters of urine. Use a household measuring cup to measure how much liquid you drink for a day or two. Drink from bottles or cans with the fluid ounces listed on the label. Keep a log, and add up the ounces at the end of the day or 24-hour period. Use this total to be sure you are reaching your daily target urine amount of at least 85 ounces of urine daily.

Reduce the amount of salt in your diet.

Eat the recommended amount of calcium.

How Does Blood Flow Through My Kidneys

Blood flows into your kidney through the renalartery. This large blood vessel branches into smaller and smaller blood vessels until the blood reaches the nephrons. In the nephron, your blood is filtered by the tiny blood vessels of the glomeruli and then flows out of your kidney through the renal vein.

Your blood circulates through your kidneys many times a day. In a single day, your kidneys filter about 150 quarts of blood. Most of the water and other substances that filter through your glomeruli are returned to your blood by the tubules. Only 1 to 2 quarts become urine.

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How To Tell If You Have A Kidney Stone In Your Back

10 Signs Your Back Pain Could Be a Kidney Stone 1 Pain on one side of your lower back or on the sides underneath your ribs. 2 Pain that comes and goes in waves and changes in intensity. 3 Pain that doesnt go away when you move. 4 Severe pain. 5 Blood in your urine. 6

Pain from the kidneys is felt in the sides, or in the middle to upper back . The pain may also progress to other areas, such as the abdomen or groin.

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How Is Kidney Cancer Diagnosed

If you have symptoms, your doctor will perform a complete medical history and physical exam. The doctor also may order certain tests that can help in diagnosing and assessing cancer. These tests can include:

Most cancers are grouped by stage, a description of cancer that aids in planning treatment. The stage of a cancer is based on:

• The location and size of the tumor.
• The extent to which the lymph nodes are affected.
• The degree to which the cancer spread, if at all, to other tissue and organs.

The doctor uses information from various tests including CT, MRI, and biopsy to determine the stage of cancer.

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What Is The Best Treatment For Kidney Pain Or Back Pain

When either your kidneys or your back hurt, you could either experience mild discomfort or a crippling pain. Since the actual problem might not be clear yet, consulting with a physician is imperative to determine the cause before they can administer treatment.

Issues with the kidney could either be a minor problem or a big one. If youre battling a kidney infection, your doctor would most likely prescribe antibiotics for you. A tiny kidney stone will require no treatment at all and pass naturally. In some cases, you many need a short hospital visit so they can get the stones out of your system smoothly. Drinking plenty of water can help with this problem. A larger kidney stone, on the other hand, would require surgery.

As for the back, various causes means many different cures are available. For non-serious back problems, you only need some rest, muscle relaxants, and a heating pad to relieve the pain. If the pain lasts for over two weeks, it may indicate a more severe problem that could require intensive care, physical rehabilitation, or minor surgery.

When Should You Go See Your Doctor About Back Or Kidney Pain

Back pain

Back pain can be incredibly frustrating, but the good news is: It usually gets better on its own. MCG doctors suggest avoiding aggravating movements and giving heat, ice, or anti-inflammatories a try. If it doesnt clear up within six to 12 weeks, go see your primary care doctor who can assist you in finding better treatment.If, however, you are experiencing back pain after traumatic accident or have other concerning symptoms, head over to urgent care for immediate treatment.

Kidney pain

If you suspect that you have a kidney issue, you should always schedule an appointment with your primary care physician. Really anyone who has symptoms of a urinary tract infection or kidney stones should follow up with their physician to make that determination, says Santiago.

If you are pregnant and experiencing a significant fever, see emergency care to get evaluated right away, adds Santiago. Pregnant women are at a greater risk for complications so if primary care isnt available, urgent care is the best place to seek assistance.

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Kidney Location In Body

In Conclusion

Let us talk about the kidney location in the body. As a qualified medical doctor, and based of my knowledge of the human anatomy, I am aware that the kidneys are located in the posterior abdominal wall. By the way, let me clarify that the human abdomen extends from beneath your sternum to just above your pelvis.

Your kidneys are located just below the rib cage, beneath your liver in the back of your abdomen.

For the purpose of deeper understanding, the abdomen can further be divided into the front and back wallsotherwise called the anterior and posterior abdominal walls respectively.

Sometimes, if you have an underlying kidney diseases which cause pain and inflammation, you may begin to experience low back or flank pain. Flank pain could be a symptom of a urinary tract or kidney infection as the case may be. While you experience flank pain during a Urinary Tract Infection, doctors will elicit renal angle tenderness.

Unlike other causes of back pain, kidney pain often will not get better as you move, or even if you massage the area.

Renal stones otherwise called nephrolithiasis is also another common cause of flank pain which is felt in the middle of the back. You should be careful with acute sharp pain in your middle back and it is an important symptom that should make you book an appointment with your doctor.

Telltale Signs You Have A Kidney Stone

Most people have two kidneys located behind their abdominal organs along the middle of their back. The purpose of your kidneys is to filter blood and send any waste thats collected into your urine.

Sometimes, these waste products build up and form small, hard deposits called kidney stones. Stones develop inside kidneys, but they exit the body through the urinary tract.

Because the ureter is small, passing a stone can cause complications inside the urinary tract, as well as a range of unpleasant symptoms from abdominal pain to nausea. About 1 in 10 Americans will experience at least one kidney stone in their lifetime, but learning to recognize the telltale signs of a kidney stone isnt always easy especially if youve never had one.

Our team at Advanced Urology in Redondo Beach, Culver City, and Los Angeles, California, is here to help. While small stones might pass without your knowledge, larger stones can cause excruciating pain. Make an appointment at Advanced Urology if you have

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Why Are The Kidneys So Important

Most people know that a major function of the kidneys is to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body. These waste products and excess fluid are removed through the urine. The production of urine involves highly complex steps of excretion and re-absorption. This process is necessary to maintain a stable balance of body chemicals.

The critical regulation of the body’s salt, potassium and acid content is performed by the kidneys. The kidneys also produce hormones that affect the function of other organs. For example, a hormone produced by the kidneys stimulates red blood cell production. Other hormones produced by the kidneys help regulate blood pressure and control calcium metabolism.

The kidneys are powerful chemical factories that perform the following functions:

• remove waste products from the body
• remove drugs from the body
• balance the body’s fluids
• release hormones that regulate blood pressure
• produce an active form of vitamin D that promotes strong, healthy bones
• control the production of red blood cells

Below you will find more information about the kidneys and the vital role they play in keeping your body functioning.

How Are Children Treated For Kidney Stones

Most childrens kidney stones can be treated with the shock wave lithotripsy , a completely non-invasive procedure. Your child is placed under anesthesia and sound waves of specific frequencies are focused on the stones to shatter them into fragments small enough to be easily passed during urination.

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When To See Your Doctor

Kidney pain is almost always a sign that something is wrong with your kidney. You should see your doctor as soon as possible to determine whats causing your pain.

If the condition that has caused kidney pain isnt treated promptly and appropriately, your kidneys can stop working, which is called kidney failure.

Its especially important to see your doctor right away if your pain is severe and started suddenly because this is often caused by a serious problem such as renal vein thrombosis or bleeding into your kidney that needs emergency treatment.

Why Are The Kidneys Important

Your kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. Your kidneys also remove acid that is produced by the cells of your body and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and mineralssuch as sodium, calcium, phosphorus, and potassiumin your blood.

Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in your body may not work normally.

Your kidneys also make hormones that help

Watch a video about what the kidneys do.

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Kidney Pain Location And Sensation

Most people tend to associate pain in the area between the ribs and hips as either digestive problems or muscular back pain. However, kidney pain isnt always felt in the same place as the kidneys location.

Dr. Charles Patrick Davis on MedicineNet explains that renal or flank pain can be felt anywhere between the lowest rib and the buttocks. The pain may also radiate to the groin or abdominal area. Depending on the underlying cause of the kidney pain, you may feel the pain in just the left or right side of your back. However, sometimes kidney pain affects both sides of the back.3

Should I Cut Calcium Out Of My Diet If I Develop Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones

If you develop kidney stones composed of calcium, you may be tempted to stop eating foods that include calcium. However, this is the opposite of what you should do. If you have calcium oxalate stones, the most common type, its recommended that you have a diet higher in calcium and lower in oxalate.

Foods that are high in calcium include:

• Cows milk.

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Associated Symptoms Of Kidney Pain May Include:

• Fever
• Pain during urination
• Flank pain- pain in the middle back near the sides. Can be noted on either the right or the left side.

Image 4 : A clear depiction of where the flank pain is represented.

Kidney cysts
Pain location	Starts as a dull pain and continues to be a sharp stinging or burning pain as the stones move. This pain will come and go in waves	Remains as a dull ache and is usually confused with back pain.	If pain is noticed it will remain dull and usually be accompanied by bloody urine.

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Kidney Location Within The Urinary System

The kidneys sit at the top of the urinary system. This location places them in a strategic position that enables them to operate effectively, as an integral component of the urinary system.

They are connected to the ureters, which are responsible for conveying wastes from the kidneys to the bladder.

The kidneys’ strategic location also allow them to effectively filter the blood. The renal artery can easily deliver blood to the kidneys, where waste substances are removed and eliminated from the body.

The filtered blood is then returned to the heart via the renal vein, and distributed to the rest of the body.

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Treating And Preventing Kidney Stones

Most kidney stones are small enough to be passed in your pee, and it may be possible to treat the symptoms at home with medication.

Larger stones may need to be broken up or removed with surgery.

It’s estimated up to half of all people who have had kidney stones will experience them again within the following 5 years.

To avoid getting kidney stones, make sure you drink plenty of water every day so you do not become dehydrated.

It’s very important to keep your urine pale in colour to prevent waste products forming into kidney stones.

The kidneys are 2 bean-shaped organs that are roughly 10cm in length.

They’re located towards the back of the abdomen on either side of the spine.

The kidneys remove waste products from the blood. The clean blood is then transferred back into the body and the waste products are passed out of the body when you pee.

Why Is Lower Back Pain Such A Common Problem

The bottom part of your back typically has just five vertebrae fewer than your neck and mid-back. And these vertebrae do a lot of heavy lifting! Your lower back is where your spine connects to your pelvis, bearing the weight of your upper body. This area experiences a lot of movement and stress, which may lead to wear, tear and injuries.

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Where Are Your Kidneys Located And Causes Of Kidney Pain

Your kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs below the ribs, behind your belly, one on each side of your spine. Each kidney is about four inches long, almost the size of your fist. These organs are responsible for removing wastes, filtering your blood, controlling your bodys fluid balance, and maintaining the right levels of electrolytes.

Each kidney has a million small filters called nephrons. Your kidneys filter 120 to 150 quarts of blood every day, producing one to two quarts of urine, which is composed of wastes, minerals, salt, and extra fluid. The filtered blood circulates back into your body. Kidneys also help keep your blood healthy by producing erythropoietin , a hormone needed for making red blood cells.

Flank or kidney pain can be a sign of urinary tract infection or kidney infection. Other possible causes are kidney stones and cysts. If you are experiencing acute, sharp pain, it is best to see your doctor rule out any severe conditions.

Visit The Spine & Rehab Group For Spinal Pain

If youre experiencing severe symptoms of back pain, its best to consult with a doctor immediately.

With over 15 years of experience, our doctors at the Spine & Rehab Group can help diagnose and alleviate your spinal pain with non-surgical but effective treatment plans. For a healthy spine, book an appointment online with any of our NY and NJ locations today.

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