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What Does It Mean When You Have Kidney Pain

What Analgesics Are Safe For People Who Have Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease: FAQ

Acetaminophen is the drug often recommended for occasional use in patients with kidney disease. But everyone with kidney disease should rely on their doctor or other health care professional for a personal recommendation. It is important to know that any drug can be harmful if used at high doses or very frequently. People with kidney disease should also be sure to avoid drinking alcohol while taking pain medicines.

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Where Is Kidney Pain Located

Your kidneys sit in the area called your flank, which is positioned mid-back, under your rib cage, on either side of your spine. When your kidneys hurt, you feel the pain in this flank area.

Depending on the issue, you may also feel pain in your sides and groin.

There are several other organs in this area, along with muscles and bones. Your medical provider can help determine where the pain is originating.

Kidney Pain: Location Causes And When To Get Help

It can be very difficult to separate back pain from kidney pain.

This is because your kidneys sit in your mid-back below your ribs on either side of your spine.

Kidney pain has several causes, including infection, injury, or other medical problems like kidney stones or cancer.

If your kidneys are causing pain, there is a problem, and you should see your primary care clinician.

This article talks about kidney pain and where you may feel the pain. It also discusses why your kidneys may be in pain and how your medical provider will diagnose the problem.

Lastly, read through some commonly asked questions about kidney pain.

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Values Must Be Tracked

When your veterinarian has confirmed a diagnosis of kidney disease, he will discuss treatment options. To place less stress on the wearing kidneys, your veterinarian may prescribe a diet that is low in protein, sodium and phosphorus. He might prescribe medications to help maintain your dogs present values, and suggest fluid therapy to help keep your dog hydrated. Your vet will run periodic blood chemistry panels and urinalyses to track the kidney values so adjustments in treatment may be made to address any changes as they arise. He may also monitor your dogs blood pressure, which can elevate as a result of kidney disease. Kidney disease is a degenerative condition, meaning that there is no cure. The goal of treatment is to slow the progression of the disease and preserve your companions quality of life for as long as possible.

References

How To Keep Kidneys Healthy

Kidney Stones Cause Death

You can optimize your kidney health by keeping your body hydrated, active when possible, and following a diet that includes:

  • Plenty of antioxidants in foods like blueberries and red grapes
  • Lower levels of sodium
  • Lower levels of potassium
  • Omega-3 rich foods like sea bass

A high-quality supplements can boost kidney health, too. Revives Kidney Support capsules contain a range of ingredients, which may support blood flow and filtration, and protect the kidneys daily. Taking a supplement with water will also remind you to stay hydrated! 14 glasses of water daily can help your body and kidneys stay healthy.

Recommended Reading: How To Protect Your Kidneys

Infections Along The Urinary Tract

While most of these infections are simply referred to as a UTI, the location of the infection makes a difference. Lower urinary tract infections are very common and easy to treat, but as the infection travels upwards, it gets more difficult and more dangerous.

  • Lower Urinary Tract Infection

    A lower urinary tract infection is what we commonly refer to as a UTI. It occurs when bacteria enters the urethra and causes a frequent urge to urination, burning sensations, dark urine, bladder discomfort, and kidney pain.2

  • Bladder Infection

    Bladder infections occur when the lower UTI works its way into the bladder. Youll experience similar symptoms, oftentimes persisting for longer periods of time and with an increase in frequency or intensity.

  • Kidney Infection

A kidney infection, also known as pyelonephritis, occurs when excess bacteria has built up in the urinary tract and reached the kidneys.1 It is considered an upper urinary tract infection and is much more serious than lower urinary tract infections.

Once the infection spreads to your kidneys, its more dangerous. Kidney infections can be very serious and may require hospitalization. If you think you have a kidney infection, dont hesitate to schedule an appointment with your urologists for a proper diagnosis. In addition to a urine culture, your doctor will need to order imaging tests, blood tests, or a combination of both to confirm the location of the infection.

Several Signs Never To Ignore

Understanding warning signs is vital for quick diagnosis and treatment of kidney stones. Below is a list of symptoms that kidney stone patients may experience. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important to seek immediate medical help.

  • Severe pain Pain that prevents patients from finding a comfortable position, including severe pain in the lower back, abdomen or groin. If pain is not relieved by changing positions, it could be a kidney stone. Depending on its size, the stone may be lodged somewhere between the kidney and bladder. The pain can come in waves, be a stabbing pain or throbbing pain. Pain can last as little as 20 minutes or as long as an hour . If the pain does not abate, go to the emergency room.
  • Nausea and vomiting If the pain is so severe that it is causes nausea and/or vomiting, the patient should go to an emergency room as soon as possible. Oftentimes described as the worst pain of their lives, patients with kidney stones should not hesitate to seek treatment.
  • Fever and chills Fever and chills most often happen when an infection has set in. Again, it is important to seek immediate help to lower the chances of developing sepsis.
  • Difficult and painful urination Blockage in the ureter can cause difficulty in passing urine. If urine cannot pass, it can cause an infection. The stone may also be in the urethra, the tube that passes urine from the bladder outside the body.
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    What Is The Function Of The Kidneys

    The excess waste products and excess fluid are removed when the kidneys produce urine that is excreted from the body. Moreover, the kidneys play an important role in the regulation of the bodys salt, potassium, and acid content.

    The kidneys also produce hormones that stimulate the production of red blood cells that help regulate blood pressure and help control calcium and electrolyte metabolism in the body.

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    Can Children Get Kidney Stones

    Where Do You Feel Kidney Pain In The Back?

    Kidney stones are found in children as young as 5 years. In fact, this problem is so common in children that some hospitals conduct stone clinics for pediatric patients. The increase in the United States has been attributed to several factors, mostly related to food choices. The two most important reasons are not drinking enough fluids and eating foods that are high in salt. Kids should eat less salty potato chips and French fries. There are other salty foods: sandwich meats, canned soups, packaged meals, and even some sports drinks. Sodas and other sweetened beverages can also increase the risk of stones if they contain high fructose corn syrup.

    If you would like more information, please contact us.

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    How To Relieve Kidney Pain

    This article was medically reviewed by Victor Catania, MD. Dr. Catania is a board certified Family Medicine Physician in Pennsylvania. He received his MD from the Medical University of the Americas in 2012 and completed his residency in Family Medicine at the Robert Packer Hospital. He is a member of the American Board of Family Medicine.There are 21 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 20 testimonials and 80% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 273,263 times.

    Research suggests that if you experience pain in your back between your ribs and your buttocks, or even down your sides into your groin area, you may be having kidney pain.XResearch source Although back pain is not always caused by your kidneys, you should talk to your doctor to make sure you dont have any serious medical conditions. Experts note that treating your kidney pain will depend on its cause, and your doctor can make the best recommendations for your situation.XResearch source

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    Understanding Your Lab Values

    People who develop chronic kidney disease may have some or all of the following tests and measurements. If you have kidney disease ask your doctor which tests you will have and how often they will be done. Speak to your doctor about your results. If your numbers are not in the normal range, ask how to improve them.

    Serum Creatinine: Creatinine is a waste product in your blood that comes from muscle activity. It is normally removed from your blood by your kidneys, but when kidney function slows down, the creatinine level rises. Your doctor should use the results of your serum creatinine test to calculate your GFR.

    Glomerular Filtration Rate : Your GFR tells how much kidney function you have. It may be estimated from your blood level of creatinine. If your GFR falls below 30 you will need to see a kidney disease specialist . A GFR below 15 indicates that you need to start a treatment for kidney failure. Your kidney disease specialist will speak to you about treatments for kidney failure, such as dialysis or kidney transplant.

    Blood Urea Nitrogen : Urea nitrogen is a normal waste product in your blood that comes from the breakdown of protein from the foods you eat and from your body metabolism. It is normally removed from your blood by your kidneys, but when kidney function slows down, the BUN level rises. BUN can also rise if you eat more protein, and it can fall if you eat less protein.

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    Favorite Kidney Stone Blogs

    CareBlog is the blog of the Urology Care Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting urologic research and providing urologic health information to the public. The blog features information on kidney stones, as well as information on general urologic health .

    Want to hear about kidney stones from people whove gone through the experience? Let this website, which was founded by Mike M. Nguyen, MD, MPH, an associate professor of urology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, be your guide. You can read through essential information from experts, as well as patient accounts and contributor articles that answer questions you may be wondering about, such as: Do vegetarians get kidney stones? and Does drinking a lot of water help a stone pass faster?

    With additional reporting by Lauren Bedosky.

    When To See A Doctor

    What Causes Kidneys to Leak Protein &  How to Stop it?

    If home remedies, such as drinking more water and applying heat, don’t resolve your kidney pain, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider immediately.

    It’s also important to seek professional medical care if your symptoms are severe, come on suddenly, your pain is accompanied by fever, fatigue, body aches, or you notice blood in your urine.

    The sooner you are seen by your healthcare provider, the sooner you can alleviate your pain and, most importantly, prevent your infection or other health concerns from leading to more complicated health issues.

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    Fever And Chills Along With Your Back Pain

    This could also mean that you have a urinary tract infection.

    If you have any of these symptoms, along with your back pain, you should call your doctor right away.

    If your pain is unbearable, is associated with fevers or chills, or you have nausea and vomiting that is preventing you from keeping down fluids or medications, you should seek immediate medical attention, Nguyen says.

    If youre in the Los Angeles area and are looking for exceptional care, the experts at USC Urology at Keck Medicine can help. Schedule an appointment or call .

    Can Kidney Infections Be Prevented

    You can reduce your chances of developing a kidney infection by keeping your bladder and urethra free from bacteria. This can include drinking plenty of fluids, keeping your genitals clean and treating any constipation.

    The symptoms of a kidney infection usually develop quite quickly over a few hours or days.

    Common symptoms include:

    • pain and discomfort in your side, lower back or around your genitals
    • high temperature
    • shivering or chills
    • feeling very weak or tired
    • loss of appetite

    You may have other symptoms if you also have cystitis or urethritis . These additional symptoms may include:

    • pain or a burning sensation during urination
    • need to urinate frequently or urgently
    • feeling that you’re unable to urinate fully
    • blood in your urine
    • cloudy or foul smelling urine
    • pain in your lower abdomen

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    Uva Ursi To Relieve Kidney Pain

    Uva ursi, also known as bearberry, is a herb that has been traditionally used by Native Americans to cure urinary problems like bladder infections which acts as a diuretic. Uva ursi is particularly beneficial for infections caused by E. coli, a bacterium found in the intestines causing bladder and kidney infections. If you decide to use this herb for your kidney diseases, consult a herbalist as it is indicated only for chronic conditions and is not meant to be used for longer periods.

    Make Uva ursi tea for kidney pain

    Get this:

    • Add uva ursi leaves with water.
    • Simmer the mixture for about 30-40 minutes till when it is reduced to one cup.
    • Drink half cup of this tea twice a day.

    Warning: Pregnant women should avoid taking uva ursi herb.

    What Is A Kidney Stone

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    A kidney stone is a hard object that is made from chemicals in the urine. There are four types of kidney stones: calcium oxalate, uric acid, struvite, and cystine. A kidney stone may be treated with shockwave lithotripsy, uteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithomy or nephrolithotripsy. Common symptoms include severe pain in lower back, blood in your urine, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, or urine that smells bad or looks cloudy.

    Urine has various wastes dissolved in it. When there is too much waste in too little liquid, crystals begin to form. The crystals attract other elements and join together to form a solid that will get larger unless it is passed out of the body with the urine. Usually, these chemicals are eliminated in the urine by the body’s master chemist: the kidney. In most people, having enough liquid washes them out or other chemicals in urine stop a stone from forming. The stone-forming chemicals are calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate.

    After it is formed, the stone may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract into the ureter. Sometimes, tiny stones move out of the body in the urine without causing too much pain. But stones that don’t move may cause a back-up of urine in the kidney, ureter, the bladder, or the urethra. This is what causes the pain.

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    What Are The Potential Complications Of Kidney Pain

    Because kidney pain can be due to serious diseases, failure to seek treatment can result in serious complications and permanent kidney damage. Once the underlying cause is diagnosed, it is important for you to follow the treatment plan that you and your healthcare professional design specifically for you to reduce the risk of potential complications including:

    • Spread of cancer
    • Spread of infection

    Diagnosis Of Kidney Endometriosis

    Most physicians are not familiar with endometriosis. As a result, they often misdiagnose patients with kidney cancer. This can lead to patients not receiving treatment on time, or receiving the wrong kind of treatment.

    A specialist should carefully review the patients medical history, followed by a pelvic examination.

    Tell-tale kidney endometriosis symptoms include lower back pain and blood in the urine that comes and goes with the menstrual cycle. Another sign of kidney endometriosis is when the patients symptoms disappear with hormonal treatment, such as birth control.

    Imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging scans or contrast-enhanced computed tomography can also help visualize endometrial lesions in and around the kidneys.

    However, the way to definitively diagnose kidney endometriosis is via histopathologic examination. This is the examination of kidney tissue that is obtained using a biopsy. However, this approach is very invasive and can lead to complications.

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    Is There A Problem With My Right Flank

    Unexplained right flank pain with no sign of infection. Need help !!! Edited 10 months ago, 18 users are following. I have had flank pain on the right side and doctors still dont know what is wrong an excruciati pain on the right side. I had kidney stones throuhout my teenage years and I recognised the pain straight away !

    Who’s Most Likely To Get A Kidney Infection

    View Kidney Pain No Bowel Movement You Should Know

    Women and children are most at risk of developing a kidney infection, as well as other urinary tract infections such as cystitis.

    Other factors can also put you more at risk of developing a kidney infection, including:

    • having a condition that blocks, or obstructs, your urinary tract, such as kidney stones or an enlarged prostate children with constipation can also be at an increased risk
    • being born with an abnormality in your urinary tract
    • having a condition that prevents you emptying your bladder fully, such as an injury to your spinal cord this can allow bacteria in your bladder to multiply and spread
    • having a weakened immune system for example, due to type 2 diabetes or as a side effect of chemotherapy
    • having an infection of the prostate gland called prostatitis the infection can spread from the prostate gland into the kidneys
    • having a urinary catheter
    • being female and sexually active sexual intercourse can irritate the urethra and allow bacteria to travel into your bladder
    • being pregnant this can cause physical changes that slow the flow of urine out of your body and make it easier for bacteria to spread to the kidneys
    • having undergone female genital mutilation an illegal practice where a woman’s genitals are deliberately cut or changed for cultural, religious and social reasons

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