The kidneys are located above the hips, just below the area of the diaphragm. There is one on each side of the body, left and right. The right kidney is slightly lower than the left kidney as it gives the space to the liver. Kidney pain is a sharp feeling of pain felt at the flank, just below the ribs. It’s also occurring in waves, being very severe at some point then goes down a bit in the pain level then up again to be sharp and severe once more. Kidney pain may first be confused with a muscle pain since the pain location is at the back. The common kidney related diseases causing the pain are kidney stones and kidney infection.
The kidney pain brought by a kidney infection is accompanied by the usual symptoms of infection which are fever, chills, nausea and vomiting, general body weakness and sometimes, loss of appetite. The body, especially the flank area, becomes very sensitive to touch. A slight touch on the location of the pain will aggravate the feeling.
In order to completely relieve the pain from kidney infection, the patient should first treat the underlying cause which is the infection. Consult with the doctor for the prescription of anti-bacterial medications the patient has to take. The two kinds of kidney infection, glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis, have different treatment therapy. The anti-bacterial therapy for glomerulonephritis would usually take 2 to 3 weeks while long-term anti-bacterial therapy may be needed for pyelonephritis. Aside from the medications, it is very important that the patient will take a rest and receive symptomatic care from a caregiver.
The other cause of kidney pain is the presence of kidney stones. The stones obstruct the flow of urine from the kidney to the ureters then to the bladder and then out the body by being lodged in the ureter. Because of the obstruction, the flow of urine is blocked making it flow back to kidneys. The kidneys will then enlarge, activating pain receptors as the kidneys stretch. This causes the awful kidney pain. The pain occurs like a wave and is very sharp. When the stone moves, the pain can also be felt from the flank area down to the groin.
The first step to relieve and treat the pain is by consulting a doctor. Self medicating with pain killers may help but will not entirely make the pain go away. The best action is to treat the cause, which is the presence of the kidney stones. The doctors may suggest a surgery to remove the stones, which can be either ESWL (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy) or percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy is an invasive procedure while ESWL isn’t. In, ESWL, sound waves are used to break the stones into smaller pieces so the body can easily remove it naturally.
People also rely on the natural methods to simply relieve the pain. Avoiding foods that can aggravate the pain is one solution. Using herbs for pain management is also an effective way. The simplest but at the same time the most important method is to keep the body well hydrated at all times. Drinking plenty of fluids will not only help with the treatment but also with the prevention of the kidney disease.
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Filed under: Kidney Pain
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