Do You Have Back Pain With Kidney Disease

What Can You Expect When You See Your Doctor About Kidney Pain

If youre going to see the doctor about regular musculoskeletal back soreness, your M.D. is most likely going to perform a physical exam to figure out whats causing the problem. And if they think its a more serious issue, they may order an ultrasound or some other type of imaging.

A kidney evaluation may involve more testing, however.

First, theyll ask you about your symptoms and if you’ve had any history of kidney problems in the past or family members with kidney disease. Then they will palpate the area over your kidneys and check your blood pressure and your temperature.

After that, theyll ask you to pee in a cup. This is called a urinalysis. With this test, your doctor is looking to see whether or not they see microscopic blood or smaller crystals. And depending on how sick you are, they may also order some blood tests to check for other signs of infection and see how well the kidneys are actually doing to clear toxins, says Dr. Rajan.

If your doctor is very concerned, they might do an ultrasound to look at the structure of your kidneys and check for stones.

Physicians often prescribe antibiotics for UTIs, and in the case of a small kidney stone, they may just recommend drinking more water and taking pain meds until the stone passes. But more serious or complicated conditions could require other procedures, so its important to see your doc to receive the proper assessment and treatment.

When To See A Doctor

Once youve determined whether your pain is coming from your back or your kidneys, consider seeing your doctor for evaluation and treatment.

You should always be seen if you think you have a kidney infection or kidney stone.

You might be able to treat acute back pain thats mild without seeing your doctor, but if it doesnt get better, is more than mild pain, or spreads, you should see your doctor.

What Are The Stages Of Kidney Cancer

Your prognosis depends on your general health, as well as the grade and stage of your kidney cancer.

These are the stages of kidney cancer. The higher the stage, the more advanced the cancer.

Stage I

• A tumor 7 centimeters or smaller that is only in the kidney

Stage II

• A tumor larger than 7 centimeters that is only in the kidney

Stage III

• A tumor that is in the kidney and in at least one nearby lymph node
• A tumor that is in the kidney’s main blood vessel and may also be in nearby lymph node
• A tumor that is in the fatty tissue around the kidney and may also involve nearby lymph nodes
• A tumor that extends into major veins or perinephric tissues, but not into the ipsilateral adrenal gland and not beyond Gerota’s fascia

Stage IV

• Cancer has spread beyond the fatty layer of tissue around the kidney, and it may also be in nearby lymph nodes
• Cancer may have spread to other organs, such as the bowel, pancreas, or lungs

• Cancer has spread beyond Gerota’s fascia

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How Can You Tell The Difference Between Kidney And Back Pain

When it comes to differentiating between the two, you want to look at two factors: the location of the pain and the type of sensations youre experiencing.

Location

Pain that is related to a pulled muscle, ligament strain, or disc damage, can be anywhere up and down your back, but it tends to be around the lower spine . Reason being: This area bears most of our weight as we go about our daily activities, rendering it more vulnerable to injury, tightness, and muscle fatigue. If theres a nerve issue, the pain may also radiate down to your butt or to one of your legs or feet, as well.

Kidney pain, on the other hand, manifests around the middle of your back and to either side of the spine. This is called the flank area. If you reach around and put your hand naturally where your waist is, its right about there, says Dr. Rajan.

Type of pain

Back pain can range from a sharp burning sensation to a dull ache. You may also experience numbness or tingling in your legs. The key thing to notice about back pain, though, is that it often flares up or lessens depending on how you move, according to Cheyenne Santiago, M.S.N., R.N., and managing editor at MCG.

Kidney pain is also often accompanied by other symptoms. So, if you also:

• Notice your pee looks bloody, dark, or cloudy
• Find that your urine smells funkier than usual
• Have pain when urinating

youll want to have your primary care physician examine your kidney function.

Upset Stomach Nausea Vomiting

Why this happens:

A severe build-up of wastes in the blood can also cause nausea and vomiting. Loss of appetite can lead to weight loss.

What patients said:

I had a lot of itching, and I was nauseated, throwing up all the time. I couldn’t keep anything down in my stomach.

When I got the nausea, I couldn’t eat and I had a hard time taking my blood pressure pills.

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When Back Pain Requires Emergent Treatment

In some people who have metastases to their spine, a condition called malignant spinal cord compression may develop. The symptoms include worsening back pain, weakness of the legs, and sometimes loss of urinary or bowel control. This is a medical emergency, and immediate treatment is needed to prevent complications such as paralysis.

Back Pan Vs Kidney Pain: How To Tell The Difference

Theres usually no easy way to differentiate between back pain and kidney pain, especially for the constant ache of a kidney stone thats not demanding to be passed. Passing a kidney stone is a different story since it hurts so badly, and kidney infections provide clues in the form of other symptoms.

Unsurprisingly, your best bet is to see a doctor for a formal diagnosis. Be prepared for a physical exam, providing your family and medical history and undergoing tests. The tests can include urine analysis or culture as well as a plain abdominal X-ray, CT scan or MRI.

There is no cure or quick fix for getting rid of kidney stone pain, as people who have experienced the excruciating pain know. Dr. Charney said. The only solution is to have a physician prescribe pain medications and sometimes fluids while just giving yourself time to pass the stone. However, there are antibiotics for kidney infections as well as home remedies. The home remedies include using heat to the area where you have discomfort, keeping yourself hydrated and taking over the counter pain meds when needed.

Overall, the best advice to keep kidneys healthy is to exercise, keep hydrated especially in warm weather or when exercising, maintain a healthy weight, and quit smoking. And the best part? That advice works for back pain as well.

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How To Tell The Difference Between Kidney Pain And Back Pain

First, it helps to have a more specific idea of where the kidneys are located. They are underneath the ribcage on either side of the spine. Because of this, many people mistake kidney pain as back pain .

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. The discomfort from kidney problems may also migrate to other regions such as the abdomen or groin.

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What Are Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are solid, often irregularly shaped masses or crystals made of minerals and salts that form in your urinary tract. They form in the kidney, but then can move around and get stuck in the ureter , which is usually what causes symptoms, says Dr. De.

A common misconception is that pain is from having a kidney stone when in fact the pain comes from when the stone gets stuck, typically in the ureter. Urine will back up into the kidney causing it to swell. The swelling of the kidney causes the pain because the kidney isnt a stretchy organ and swelling causes the nerves on the surface of the kidney to get irritated, says Dr. De.

Kidney stones can be caused by several factors like dehydration, diet, medical conditions, medications, or a family history of kidney stones. There are different types of stones as well, like calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, uric acid and struvite.

They can range in shape, size and texture. The smallest size could be as small as a poppy seed or just even crystals that show up on a urine test but arent visible to the eye, says Dr. De. They can get as big as filling the entire kidney, so that can be more than 4 or 5 centimeters, depending on the size of somebodys kidney.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Stage 3 Kidney Disease

• What do my lab values mean? The results of your regular bloodwork help your doctor monitor your kidney health and calculate your estimate glomerular filtration rate , which determines your CKD stage. Changes in your lab values may indicate a change in your kidney function.
• What should I expect next with CKD? A stage 3 kidney disease diagnosis doesn’t necessarily mean that your condition will progress to stage 4 or stage 5. With lifestyle changes and a treatment plan from your doctor, it’s possible to slow the progression of CKD and preserve kidney function.
• Am I doing everything I can to slow CKD progression? Your doctor may have additional guidance on what you can do to stay your healthiest, including eating well and managing your existing medicationsespecially if you are managing other health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Looking after your overall health can help you protect your kidney health and feel your best.

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How To Distinguish Between Kidney Pain And Back Pain

This article was medically reviewed by Sarah Gehrke, RN, MS. Sarah Gehrke is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Massage Therapist in Texas. Sarah has over 10 years of experience teaching and practicing phlebotomy and intravenous therapy using physical, psychological, and emotional support. She received her Massage Therapist License from the Amarillo Massage Therapy Institute in 2008 and a M.S. in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2013. This article has been viewed 255,777 times.

When you are having pain in your back, you may not automatically know what it causing it. It can be very difficult to recognize the differences between pain originating in your back and pain coming from your kidneys. However, the difference is all in the details. In order to distinguish between kidney and back pain you need to concentrate on identifying exactly where the pain is located, how constant it is, and whether there are any other symptoms you are experiencing. If you can identify the details, you should be able to distinguish between kidney and back pain.

Kidney Pain Vs Back Pain

It’s easy to confuse kidney pain for just back pain. How do you know the difference?

Location. It could be your kidney and not your back if you feel it higher on your back. Back problems usually affect your lower 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. It probably won’t go away when you shift your body. With your back, it might lessen when you adjust your position.

Signs that it’s your back

Back pain:

• Shoots down one leg
• Is more likely to be stabbing than dull and constant
• Gets worse or flares up when you do certain activities, like lifting a box or bending over
• When you rest or lie down, back pain may ease up
• Might also be muscle aches

Other symptoms to watch for

Depending on the cause of the pain, you could have other symptoms too. If you have these signs, contact your doctor. You could have a serious kidney problem:

• Fever

Cleveland Clinic: ââ¬ÅKidney Pain,ââ¬ï¿½ ââ¬ÅKidney Pain: Care and Treatment.ââ¬ï¿½Ã

Mayo Clinic: ââ¬ÅKidney Pain,ââ¬ï¿½ ââ¬ÅKidney Stones,ââ¬ï¿½ ââ¬ÅKidney Cysts,ââ¬ï¿½ ââ¬ÅPolycystic Kidney Disease,ââ¬ï¿½ ââ¬ÅBack Pain,ââ¬ï¿½ ââ¬ÅHydronephrosis.ââ¬ï¿½

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: ââ¬ÅYour Kidneys & How They Work.ââ¬ï¿½

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What Are Symptoms Of Kidney Pain

Symptoms of kidney pain occur in the area of the kidneys, on the sides or middle to upper back, on one or both sides, and may be described as:

• A constant, dull ache in the sides, back, or belly
• Pain in the side
• Pain may come in waves
• Pain may radiate to the belly or groin area

Depending on the cause of the kidney pain, symptoms that may accompany it include:

When Back Pain Means Kidney Problems

Millions of Americans per year suffer from back pain. Often, the cause is muscular, like a strain or pulled muscle, or skeletal, like degenerative disc disease, but other times, back pain could be a symptom of something larger.

If you have back pain near the kidneys, you could have an infection or more serious condition that could need immediate attention. Our team can help patients identify kidney pain symptoms so they know when to make an appointment at Affiliated Urologists.

The kidneys can be found on both sides of the body near the top of the abdomen. They rest near the back muscles and sit just below the ribcage. This means that when patients have a kidney condition, they usually feel pain in their backs as opposed to the stomach area. Its possible for patients to only feel pain on one side of the upper back where the kidneys are. Sometimes, back pain is felt on the side of the body as well as the back.

What it means

Kidney pain could mean a wide variety of things. It could mean something as easy to treat as dehydration, but this is not typically the case. Kidney pain felt in the upper back can also be caused by a kidney infection, kidney stones, or even cancer.

What to look for

Kidney Cancer If a patient is experiencing back pain paired with loss of appetite, weight loss, or fatigue, they may have kidney cancer. However, if a patient has these symptoms, it does not always mean cancer. It could mean another, less-serious issue with the kidneys.

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What Do The Kidneys Do In Our Body

Kidney is considered as one of the major organs of the body. This is because of its important role in various functions that keep us in healthy condition. The major functions of it include the following.

• Maintenance of fluid volume within the body.
• Maintenance of acid-base equilibrium within the body.
• Blood is purified of waste products, chemicals and toxins by the kidneys.
• Electrolytes such as Sodium, potassium and chloride are kept in the required amount in body with the help of the kidneys.
• Kidneys are also known to produce hormones and chemicals required for information transmission through nerves.

This article will discuss a bit more about the anatomy of the kidney as well as possible causes for kidney pain.

Kidney Pain Vs Muscular

The flank area is an area of the back that is commonly injured in normal every day movements or during exercise. There are a few good ways to know the difference between kidney pain and muscular back pain.

If you answer yes to any of the following questions you could be experiencing kidney pain.

• Assess your body to see if you have any other symptoms such as fever, or difficulty with urination?
• Does the pain increase or decrease associated with your urination?

If you answer yes to any of the following questions you may be experiencing back pain.

• Does the pain get better or worse with stretching or movement?
• Is pain relieved with regular over the counter pain medications?

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Shortness Of Breath After Very Little Effort

Why this happens:

Being short of breath can be related to the kidneys in two ways. First, extra fluid in the body can build up in the lungs. And second, anemia can leave your body oxygen-starved and short of breath.

What patients said:

At the times when I get the shortness of breath, it’s alarming to me. It just fears me. I think maybe I might fall or something so I usually go sit down for awhile.

I couldn’t sleep at night. I couldn’t catch my breath, like I was drowning or something. And, the bloating, can’t breathe, can’t walk anywhere. It was bad.

Kidney Pain Or Back Pain Sometimes It Can Be Tough To Tell But Each Will Provide Their Own Clues Heres What You Need To Know

• Back Pan vs Kidney Pain: How to Tell the Difference

Trying to understand why your back hurts can feel exhausting. Most cases of back pain go away on their own. But if the soreness or irritation lingers it can suggest a more substantial health concern possibly one associated with the kidneys.

Kidney pain or back pain? Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.

Healthy kidneys help eliminate waste from the body, regulate blood pressure, make red blood cells, and perform other essential jobs all day every day. Youll find these bean-shaped organs below your ribs, close to the middle of your back. Thats why kidney problemsstones, infection, chronic kidney diseasescan easily be mistaken for mid-or upper back pain.

Heres the thing, though. People with kidney disease sometimes have pain caused by their kidney disease, says Alan Charney, MD, a nephrologist at NYU Langone Health and clinical professor at the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Remarkably, though, the kidney itself has no pain receptors!

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