What To Know and Do About Kidney Stone Pain

Pain from kidney stones can cause pain in your lower back and abdomen. If you have a kidney stone, the pain can range from mild discomfort to excruciating aches—sometimes even affecting your sleep and ability to carry out daily tasks.

Kidney stones are small, hard mineral deposits that form in the kidneys and can travel down the urinary tract, causing blockages and severe pain. While some kidney stones may pass on their own with time and hydration, others may require medical intervention to alleviate pain and prevent complications such as kidney damage or urinary tract infections.

What Organs Are Affected by Kidney Stone Pain?

To understand the cause of kidney stone pain, knowing the body parts involved with this condition is essential. Kidney stones can affect the following organs:

• Kidneys: Bean-shaped organs that filter waste and excess fluids from the blood to produce urine
• Ureters: Tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder
• Bladder: The organ that stores urine until it is released from your body
• Urethra: Hollow tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body during urination
  

Kidney stones form when minerals and salts in your urine crystallize and stick together, creating solid masses (also known as stones). They can cause blockages in the urinary tract, often leading to pain.

Depending on their size and location, kidney stones can cause severe pain and may cause complications such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) or kidney damage if not promptly treated.

How Kidney Stone Pain Presents

Kidney stones typically cause sudden, intense pain that may come and go in waves. The pain often begins in the back or side, just below the ribs, and radiates to the lower abdomen and groin as the stone moves through the urinary tract.

People who have a history of kidney stones describe this pain as sharp, stabbing, or cramping. Kidney stones can cause symptoms such as:

• Severe pain in the back, side, abdomen, or groin
• Aches that vary in intensity
• Pain while urinating (peeing)
• Peeing frequently
• Blood in the urine
  
• The urge to pee
• Foul-smelling or cloudy urine
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever and chills

These symptoms can vary depending on the size and location of the kidney stone and other factors like your individual pain tolerance. However, if your pain is severe or persistent, it's important to seek care from a healthcare provider to limit the risk of complications.

Potential Causes

Several factors can cause kidney stone pain. While some kidney stones pass on their own, a problem in the urinary tract can often be the source of your discomfort.

Obstruction

A small kidney stone may pass through your urinary tract on its own without pain. However, a larger kidney stone may get stuck along the way. Kidney stones can cause an obstruction or blockage as they move through the urinary tract. When a stone becomes lodged in the ureter (the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder), it can affect urine flow, leading to intense pain.

Inflammation

The presence of a kidney stone can cause inflammation and irritation of the urinary tract lining, contributing to pain. The abrasive nature of the stone as it moves through the urinary tract can damage the surrounding tissues, leading to discomfort and aches.

Muscle Spasms

As a kidney stone passes through the ureter, it can trigger muscle spasms in the surrounding muscles, such as the back, abdomen, and groin muscles. These spasms can result in sharp, stabbing pain that radiates from the affected muscles.

Stretching of the Urinary Tract

When kidney stones move through the urinary tract, they can stretch the walls of the ureter and other nearby structures. This stretching sensation can contribute to the sensation of pain and discomfort associated with kidney stones.

Secondary Infection

Kidney stones can sometimes lead to secondary urinary tract infections. These infections can cause additional symptoms, such as fever, chills, and worsening pain, as your body's immune response attempts to fight the infection.

When to Contact a Healthcare Provider

Contact a healthcare provider for kidney pain if you experience severe or persistent pain in your back, side, lower abdomen, or groin, especially if the discomfort is accompanied by other symptoms such as:

• Blood in the urine
• Burning sensation while peeing
• Fever and chills
• Nausea and vomiting
• Difficulty urinating

It's also important to seek medical attention promptly if you have a history of kidney stones or other urinary tract infections. This can lower the risk of complications.

Diagnosis

If you decide to see a healthcare provider about your pain, knowing what to expect during the diagnostic process can help. Generally, a healthcare provider will use a combination of a medical history assessment, physical examination, and tests to see if your pain is due to a kidney stone.

Your provider will inquire about your symptoms, such as the location, severity, and duration of pain, as well as any associated symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, or blood in the urine. They may perform a physical examination to assess for signs of tenderness or discomfort in the abdomen, back, or groin area.

Other tests that your healthcare provider may recommend include:

• Urinalysis: A urine sample to check for the presence of blood, crystals, or other substances that may indicate kidney stones or UTIs
• CT scan: Detailed images of the urinary tract that allow healthcare providers to visualize the size, location, and number of kidney stones
• Ultrasound: Uses sound waves to create images of the kidneys and urinary tract to detect the presence of kidney stones
• X-ray: Assesses the presence of certain types of kidney stones
• Blood test: Evaluates kidney function and identifies any abnormalities that may be associated with kidney stones or UTIs

Treatment

If you have kidney stones, several treatment options can help relieve the pain. Depending on your symptoms, your provider may recommend the following strategies:

• Home remedies: Drinking eight glasses of water daily can help flush out the kidney stones. Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers such as Advil (ibuprofen) can relieve pain.
• Medications: Prescription medications such as Flomax (tamsulosin) can relax the ureter and help pass the stone.
• Procedures: This might include treatments like shock wave lithotripsy (breaks up kidney stones into smaller fragments), ureteroscopy (removes lodged kidney stones), and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (removes larger kidney stones).

Generally, these treatments are enough to remove kidney stones and improve pain. However, open surgery may be necessary to remove the stones if other treatments are ineffective—though this is rare.

A Quick Review

Kidney stone pain can vary in intensity and disrupt daily activities. Stones can affect your kidneys and any part of the urinary tract, such as the bladder and ureter.

If you experience persistent pain in your lower back, abdomen, or groin, it's important to see a healthcare provider for treatment. Doing so can help you get the needed treatment, lower the risk of complications, and improve your symptoms.