Back pain comes from a number of sources.~Back pain normally comes from a problem with your spine or even a back muscle.~If you suffer from mysterious, severe back pain on occasion, the reason for your pain is usually related to your spine or damage to a back muscle.~Usually you get back pain from nerve damage in your spine or an injury to one of your back muscles.~When you’re troubled by back pain, you usually suspect – at least at first – that you have nerve damage to your spinalcolumn or possibly some injury to a back muscle.}

But your spine and back muscles may, in fact, have little or nothing to do with the real cause of your discomfort.

You may, instead, have a kidney problem. A kidney infection or a kidney stone can cause sharp, stabbing back pain that can literally, be so painful it can bring a grown man to his knees.

I know. I’ve “been there and done that” (several times in fact).

So how do you know whether your back pain comes from a spinal or muscular injury versus kidney trouble?

The location of the pain is often your first clue..

Kidney pain generally happens in the “flank” region, which is the area of your back just below the bottom of your rib cage. You’ll feel the discomfort about halfway down your back, between your side and your spine.

Pain from a kidney stone or kidney infection often “comes out of the blue,” as the saying goes. One minute you feel fine. A few minutes later, the pain is severe and unrelenting.

Kidney stones may trigger back pain as they move from the kidneys down to the bladder. But they can also cause a blockage in the ureters, which are the thin tubes connecting the bladder and kidneys.

Besides back pain, symptoms of a kidney stone or kidney infection include evidence of blood in your urine. A burning sensation is also typical, and you’re likely to feel an urgent need to urinate more often than you normally would. Kidney pain sometimes radiates around the torso, into the abdomen, and in males, all the way down to the testicles.

Kidney stones often pass through your urinary system and exit the body through urination, especially if you drink a lot of water.

As uncomfortable as they can be, they’re generally not a threat tolife. But a kidney infection, left untreated, can lead to kidney damage.. It can result in kidney failure. which is life threatening.

Kidney infections come in two varieties.

There’s glomerulonephritis, which can be acute or chronic, and pyelonephritis, which is an inflammation of one or both kidneys that can be acute, relapsing or chronic.

Therefore, if you think your back pain may be caused by a kidney problem, it’s a good idea to call

Ways to Relieve Back Pain from a Kidney Problem

Back pain from kidney problems can be especially difficult to relieve.

As I said in the opening paragraph of this article, I’ve suffered through about a dozen kidney stones. On several occasions, I didn’t even know one was there and the stone passed painlessly.

But I’ve also been hospitalized to have stones removed twice. It’s not fun, although surgical advances, like shock wave therapy, have been developed that result in much less discomfort than some of the old fashioned methods.

Your doctor can give you pain killers, but honestly, nothing has worked very well for me except percocet, which is pretty strong – (and may even be addictive).

A hot shower may help.  I’ve also had some success by lying face up in a bathtub full of warm water. No doctor has ever recommended this technique, but it seems to work. I think it might relieve some of the pressure from gravity pushing down on a stone when it’s lodged in the ureter.

Conclusion

Kidney back pain shouldn’t be taken lightly. More often than not, it will be caused by something other than a kidney problem. Nonetheless, at the first indication of a kidney problem, don’t take it for granted that it will go away on its own. And don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor. Do it as soon as possible.