The pain can be sharp or a dull ache, and it may come and go. It's usually worse on one side, but it can occur on both flanks. Problems in the kidney (such as an infection or a kidney stone) are common causes of flank pain.
How do you know if you have kidney pain? Kidney pain, or renal pain, is usually felt in your back (under the ribs, to the right or left of the spine). It can spread to other areas, like the sides, upper abdomen or groin. If you have a kidney stone, you usually feel the pain in your back, side, lower belly or groin.
Kidney pain is felt higher and deeper in your body than back pain. You may feel it in the upper half of your back, not the lower part. Unlike back discomfort, it's felt on one or both sides, usually under your rib cage. It's often constant.
Most of the time, kidney pain symptoms occur under your ribs, to the right or left of your spine. Kidney pain may also radiate to other areas, such as your abdomen or groin. Sometimes, hip pain is confused with kidney pain, but hip pain is lower down in your back than kidney pain.
Call your health care provider right away if you feel constant, dull, one-sided pain in your back or side. Ask for a same-day appointment if you also: Have fever, body aches and fatigue. Had a recent urinary tract infection.
You're more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired, weak and can make it hard to concentrate.
Kidney pain is often felt on one side, under the rib cage, in the middle part of the back. Some people refer to this area as the “flank.” Type of pain: Kidney pain comes from a deeper place than the muscles. This means it usually doesn't get worse with lifting, twisting, or bending like muscle pain does.
Dehydration (which is when the body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to work properly) Kidney cysts (fluid-filled pouches that form on or in the kidneys) Kidney stones (hard objects that form due to chemicals in urine) Kidney trauma, which could be caused by an accident, a fall or contact sports.
Usually, you'll start to feel better quite soon after treatment starts and you should feel completely better after about two weeks. If your symptoms show no sign of improvement 24 hours after treatment starts, contact your GP for advice.
Most people who are diagnosed and treated promptly with antibiotics feel completely better after about 2 weeks. People who are older or have underlying conditions may take longer to recover. If your symptoms show no sign of improvement 24 hours after treatment starts, contact a GP for advice.
The timeline is another way to distinguish back pain from kidney pain. Back pain can come and go and can be triggered by certain movements like bending over or sitting up. Pain associated with the kidneys on the other hand generally remains dull and stable and is usually not changed with movement.
Kidney pain tends to be more dull and constant, while back pain can be stabbing and responds to rest and movement. The kidneys are bean-shaped organs about the size of a fist located in the back of the abdomen, just under the ribcage, on each side of the spinal cord.
Kidney pain can spread from the flanks at your sides to the groin, inner thigh, and abdomen. You may experience aching or stiffness along the spine, muscle spasms, muscle cramps, and some numbness or tingling from the back down to the legs.
Dehydration can cause a build-up of wastes and acids in the body, and it can clog the kidneys with muscle proteins (myoglobin). All these things can hurt the kidneys.
Reduced GFR is a red flag for six major complications in patients with CKD: acute kidney injury risk, resistant hypertension, metabolic abnormalities, adverse drug reactions, accelerated cardiovascular disease and progression to end-stage kidney disease.
Urine and blood tests are used to detect and monitor kidney disease. Currently, the key markers used include abnormal urine albumin levels and a persistent reduction in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
Blood Tests. Because your kidneys remove waste, toxins, and extra fluid from the blood, a doctor will also use a blood test to check your kidney function. The blood tests will show how well your kidneys are doing their job and how quickly the waste is being removed.
Signs and symptoms of Stage 1 CKD include: High blood pressure. Swelling in your hands or feet. Urinary tract infections.
Stage 1 CKD means you have a normal eGFR of 90 or greater and mild damage to your kidneys. Your kidneys are still working well, so you may not have any symptoms. You may have other signs of kidney damage, such as protein in your urine.
Symptoms of a kidney infection often come on within a few hours. You can feel feverish, shivery, sick and have a pain in your back or side. In addition to feeling unwell like this, you may also have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) such as cystitis.