Kidney stone why does it hurt

Tamsulosin a type of medication known as an alpha-blocker is also widely used to help relax the muscles of the ureter, increasing the chance of passing the stone and helping reduce symptoms of pain, Bechis notes. However, new evidence suggests this medication may not add as much benefit as previously thought, he adds. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Health Topics. Health Tools. Kidney Stones. Reviewed: June 1, Medically Reviewed. It depends on how long it takes to pass the stone. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. March 19, A to Z Health. PubMed Health. What Are the Signs of Kidney Stones? Obesity is a risk factor for stones.

Obesity may change the acid levels in the urine, leading to stone formation. Some medical conditions have an increased risk of kidney stones.

Abnormal growth of one or more of the parathyroid glands, which control calcium metabolism, can cause high calcium levels in the blood and urine. This can lead to kidney stones. Another condition called distal renal tubular acidosis, in which there is acid build-up in the body, can raise the risk of calcium phosphate kidney stones.

Some rare, inherited disorders can also make certain types of stones more likely. Examples include cystinuria, which is too much of the amino acid cystine in the urine, and primary hyperoxaluria, in which the liver makes too much oxalate. Some medications, and calcium and vitamin C supplements, may increase your risk of forming stones.

Be sure to tell your health care provider all the medications and supplements you take, as these could affect your risk of stone formation. Do not stop taking any of these unless your health care provider tells you to do so. The chance of having kidney stones is much higher if you have a family history of stones, such as a parent or sibling. Other people have their stones diagnosed when sudden pain occurs while the stone is passing, and medical attention is needed.

When a person has blood in the urine hematuria or sudden abdominal or side pain, tests like an ultrasound or a CT scan may diagnose a stone. These imaging tests tell the health care provider how big the stone is and where it is located. A CT scan is often used in the ER when a stone is suspected.

It is used because it can make a quick and exact diagnosis. Treatment depends on the type of stone, how bad it is and the length of time you have had symptoms. There are different treatments to choose from. It is important to talk to your health care provider about what is best for you.

Often you can simply wait for the stone to pass. Smaller stones are more likely than larger stones to pass on their own. Waiting up to four to six weeks for the stone to pass is safe as long as the pain is bearable, there are no signs of infection, the kidney is not completely blocked and the stone is small enough that it is likely to pass.

While waiting for the stone to pass, you should drink normal amounts of water. You may need pain medication when there is discomfort. Certain medications have been shown to improve the chance that a stone will pass. The most common medication prescribed for this reason is tamsulosin. Tamsulosin Flomax relaxes the ureter, making it easier for the stone to pass.

You may also need pain and anti-nausea medicine as you wait to pass the stone. Kidney stones should be removed by surgery if they cause repeated infections in the urine or because they are blocking the flow of urine from the kidney. Today, surgery usually involves small or no incisions cuts , minor pain and minimal time off work.

Shock waves are focused on the stone using X-rays or ultrasound to pinpoint the stone. Repeated firing of shock waves on the stone usually causes the stone to break into small pieces. These smaller pieces of stones pass out in the urine over a few weeks.

Because of possible discomfort caused by the shock waves and the need to control breathing during the procedure, some form of anesthesia is often needed. SWL does not work well on hard stones, such as cystine, some types of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones, or very large stones. With SWL, you may go home the same day as the procedure. You may be able to resume normal activities in two to three days.

You may also be given a strainer to collect the stone pieces as they pass. These pieces will be sent to the laboratory to be tested. Although SWL is widely used and considered very safe, it can still cause side effects. You may have blood in your urine for a few days after treatment.

Most stone pieces pass painlessly. Larger pieces may get stuck in the ureter, causing pain and needing other removal procedures. Ureteroscopy URS is used to treat stones in the kidney and ureter. URS involves passing a very small telescope, called an ureteroscope, into the bladder, up the ureter and into the kidney. Rigid telescopes are used for stones in the lower part of the ureter near the bladder.

Flexible telescopes are used to treat stones in the upper ureter and kidney. The ureteroscope lets the urologist see the stone without making an incision cuts. General anesthesia keeps you comfortable during the URS procedure. Once the urologist sees the stone with the ureteroscope, a small, basket-like device grabs smaller stones and removes them.

If a stone is too large to remove in one piece, it can be broken into smaller pieces with a laser or other stone-breaking tools. Once the stone has been removed whole or in pieces, the health care provider may place a temporary stent in the ureter. A stent is a tiny, rigid plastic tube that helps hold the ureter open so that urine can drain from the kidney into the bladder. Unlike a catheter or PCNL drain tube, this tube is completely within the body and does not require an external bag to collect urine.

You may go home the same day as the URS and can begin normal activities in two to three days. If your urologist places a stent, he or she will remove it four to 10 days later. Sometimes a string is left on the end of the stent so you can remove it on your own. It is very important that the stent is removed when your health care provider tells you.

Leaving the stent in for long periods can cause an infection and loss of kidney function. General anesthesia is needed to do a PCNL. PCNL involves making a half-inch incision cut in the back or side, just large enough to allow a rigid telescope nephroscope to be passed into the hollow center part of the kidney where the stone is located.

An instrument passed through the nephroscope breaks up the stone and suctions out the pieces. The ability to suction pieces makes PCNL the best treatment choice for large stones. After the PCNL, a tube is usually left in the kidney to drain urine into a bag outside of the body.

This will allow for drainage of urine and stop any bleeding. The tube is left in overnight or for a few days. You may have to stay in the hospital overnight after this operation. Your urologist may choose to do X-rays while you are still in the hospital to see if any stone pieces remain. If there are any, your urologist may want to look back into the kidney with a telescope again to remove them. You can begin normal activities after about one-to-two weeks.

Other kidney surgery is rarely used to remove stones. Open, laparoscopic or robotic surgery may be used only if all other less invasive procedures fail. Part of preventing stones is finding out why you get them. Your health care provider will perform tests to find out what is causing this.

After finding out why you get stones, your health care provider will give you tips to help stop them from coming back. Your health care provider will ask questions about your personal and family medical history. People often describe kidney stone pain as flank pain that starts under the rib cage and goes down toward the testicles in men or the labia in women.

To ease pain, health care providers often recommend over-the-counter pain relievers for those who are waiting for a kidney stone to pass. Sometimes, narcotics also are prescribed. Stones that are too large to pass through the urinary tract on their own or stones that are causing other problems, such as bleeding, kidney damage or urinary tract infections , usually require more invasive treatment. One procedure that can break up a kidney stone is called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, or ESWL.

It uses sound waves to create strong vibrations that break the stones into tiny pieces. Those pieces then pass out of the body in urine. Another option to remove a stone in the ureter or kidney is a procedure in which a thin, lighted tube, called a ureteroscope, equipped with a camera is passed through the urethra and bladder to the ureter.

Once the stone is located, special tools can snare the stone or break it into pieces that pass in the urine. The most common method uses a scope through the bladder and up the ureter into the kidney, where the stone is targeted with a laser, breaking it into dust. The second method uses soundwaves that break up the stone, which is usually easiest on the patient but is not ideal for all stones. The third method is a procedure known as a percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and it's reserved for really big kidney stones.

In this case, a small incision is made in the patient's back and a surgeon uses a scope to remove stones directly from the kidney. You should drink enough to produce 2.

For those patients who pass their kidney stones without surgery, Dr. Benway suggests trying to capture the stone for analysis. Capturing the stone is beneficial for us to analyze it and see what it's made of—and to confirm that the stone actually passed. Stones that you think have passed but actually haven't can do a lot of damage to your body if they stay in there for an extended period. If you want to drink something other than water, drink some lemonade!

A genetic link hasn't been discovered, but kidney stones tend to cluster in families.