Back pain due to muscle problems is usually in your lower back. Pain due to kidney problems is usually deeper and higher in your back, under your ribs. Signs that it is a kidney problem can also include fever, vomiting, pain in your sides or painful urination.
Kidney pain vs back pain
Back pain usually affects the middle of your back, over your spine, and most commonly in the lower back. Spine-related issues can also cause back pain to sometimes radiate down your legs. In comparison, kidney pain is typically located higher on your back and it often feels deeper.
Kidney pain often feels like a dull ache that gets worse if someone gently presses on that area. While it is more common to feel kidney pain on only one side, some health problems may affect both kidneys and cause pain on both sides of your back.
They are underneath the ribcage on either side of the spine. Because of this, many people mistake kidney pain as back pain (and vice-versa). Back pain is typically found in the lower back, while trouble with the kidneys results in a pain that is deeper and located higher on the back.
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).
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.
When your kidneys are failing, a high concentration and accumulation of substances lead to brown, red, or purple urine. Studies suggest the urine color is due to abnormal protein or sugar as well as high numbers of cellular casts and red and white blood cells.
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.
If the pain lasts four weeks or longer. If the pain keeps getting worse as time goes by. If you are experiencing other symptoms, such as fever, major weight loss or weight gain, loss of function or weakness in extremities, bladder problems, etc.
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.
The pain goes away when you rest. The most common cause of kidney pain is from kidney stones, and this will not improve when you lie down and rest. Similarly, any symptoms of kidney inflammation or kidney failure will not let up with rest.
Moving around will not affect the pain. It likely won't provide relief, but it will not worsen the symptoms either. In most cases, nothing you do will get rid of the pain until your doctor or specialist properly treats your kidneys.
Lower back pain is rarely caused by a kidney problem, but it's common to mistake lower back pain for kidney pain. Kidney problems are easier to identify through other symptoms, like pain when you urinate.
Pain from the kidneys is often constant, or can be sharp, like being stabbed. Pain from the muscles or the spine comes on with bending over or with lifting, and may be felt in the middle of the back or on either side of the back.
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.
Kidney pain can occur on either or both sides of the spine, below the ribs. Some people may also experience pain in the lower groin. Pain in the kidneys may be an indication that something is wrong with these essential organs. Various conditions can cause kidney pain, including infections, kidney stones, and cancer.
If your urine is clear and you're not on a water pill or drinking a lot of water, it may signal an underlying kidney problem or possibly diabetes.
Constipation is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is primarily characterized by decreased intestinal motility. This chronic disorder affects the quality of life of patients.
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.
If your kidneys are not working well, toxins (waste products) build up in your blood and this can make you feel tired and weak. You may feel more tired as your CKD progresses. Kidney damage can also lead to a shortage of red blood cells, causing you to be anaemic.