What does kidney pain feel like and what are the causes?

Ever wondered what does kidney pain feel like ? (Image by stefamerpik on freepik)
Ever wondered what does kidney pain feel like ? (Image by stefamerpik on freepik)

Kidney pain can be caused because of underlying conditions like UTI (Urinary tract infection), kidney stones, infection in the organ itself, or some kind of injury.

You have to find out the primary cause of the pain via the symptoms and different tests. You must also learn what kidney pain feels like and how you can differentiate it from other types of pains like the ones originating from gas or appendicitis or back pain. Back pain will go away with time but kidney pain will bother you if you don’t treat it and will get worse with time.


What does kidney pain feel like?

What does kidney pain feel like? Is it similar to back pain? (Image by shayne_ch13 on freepik)
What does kidney pain feel like? Is it similar to back pain? (Image by shayne_ch13 on freepik)

Kidney pain will feel like a very bad cramp or a severe ache which will make you feel uneasy and it may hurt when you try to sit or move. If one of your kidneys is affected, then you will have pain on one side. However, if both of them are affected, then the pain will be severe and you must rush to a doctor to treat it immediately as kidneys are very important organs and filter blood and removes the waste in the form of urine.


4 main causes of kidney pain

1. UTI

What does kidney pain feel like when caused by UTI (Image by Lifestylememory on Freepik)
What does kidney pain feel like when caused by UTI (Image by Lifestylememory on Freepik)

UTI is caused when bacteria enter your urinary tract. When you urinate, you will feel a burning sensation, also you will need to urinate very often. This can affect your kidneys and cause pain in them.


2. Drinking less water

Drinking less water throughout the day can put stress on your kidneys and that can cause pain, because of your body suffering from dehydration.


3. Injury

If you have an accident or get hurt while playing a sport, and damage your kidneys, then you can suffer from kidney pain too. This pain depends on how bad the impact was.


4. Kidney stones

What does kidney pain feel like, if the pain is caused by kidney stones? (Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)
What does kidney pain feel like, if the pain is caused by kidney stones? (Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)

This is the most common reason why people get pain in their kidneys. Sometimes the stones that get built up can pass through your urine naturally or with the help of medications.

However, larger stones cannot pass through and cause severe pain and have to be operated on, to provide the patient relief.


Why are kidneys important?

They are essential organs because they remove excess waste and fluid from the body and also maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and other minerals like sodium, calcium, and many more which are found in our blood. Your body will not function properly without this organ working top-notch.


Symptoms of kidney pain

What does kidney pain feel like and can it cause fever? (Image by Freepik)
What does kidney pain feel like and can it cause fever? (Image by Freepik)

If you see blood in your urine or have pain when you urinate, get fever and chills, or feel nauseous very often, it can be because of kidney disease causing kidney pain.

Some of them are serious and will need immediate medical attention.


How to treat kidney pain

Dialysis can provide temporary relief against kidney pain (Image by tonodiaz on Freepik)
Dialysis can provide temporary relief against kidney pain (Image by tonodiaz on Freepik)

It will depend on the cause of the pain and you might need to do blood and urine tests, and the doctor can ask you to even go for an ultrasound. Your doctor will check how much kidney function is left and then treat you accordingly.

Sometimes doctors can ask you go to for dialysis and in worst cases, you might need a kidney transplant, for which you’ll need a kidney donor first.


Do not confuse kidney pain with back pain, if you ever think you are struggling and witnessing the above-mentioned symptoms, do not delay and immediately seek attention as prevention is better than cure - save your kidneys and stop wondering- what does kidney pain feel like, in case you do.

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