Ask an expert: Is this kidney pain? - Health and Medical Consumer News - cleveland.co...
Page 1 of 2
• Complete Forecast | Homepage | Site Index | RSS Feeds | About Us | Contact Us | Advertise
SEARCH: Enter Keyword(s)
HOME
NEWS
LOCAL
SPORTS
BUSINESS
FORUMS
LIVING & TRAVEL
ENTERTAINMENT
CLASSIFIEDS
SITE INDEX
FROM OUR
ADVERTISERS
„ About The Author
Ask an expert: Is this kidney pain?
„
Posted by Chris Seper March 12, 2008 01:24AM
• Find Your Dream
Home
• Bryant And Stratton
Enroll TODAY!
• Search Virtually Any
Home
Categories: Impact, Netwellness
Latest Posts
„ Ask an expert: Is this kidney
pain?
„ CDC study says at least 1
in 4 teen girls has a
sexually transmitted
disease
„ The focus (again) on a
phased-out preservative's
link to autism
„ Tips to help ease your child
into a hospital stay
„ Parents worry about
caffeine in children's drinks
Categories
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
„
Aging Matters (RSS)
Breaking News (RSS)
Children & Youth (RSS)
Diane Suchetka (RSS)
Health tips (RSS)
Healthy Cleveland (RSS)
Impact (RSS)
Lifestyles Impact (RSS)
Living Well (RSS)
Medical Industry Impact
(RSS)
Netwellness (RSS)
News Impact (RSS)
Plain Dealer (RSS)
Research (RSS)
Senior Health (RSS)
Seniors (RSS)
Technology (RSS)
Favorite Links
„ Health & Fitness Home
„ Medical Industry Home
Archived Posts
-----
Q. I have been feeling pain on both sides of my
spine in the flank area, especially when I lay
down at night and in the morning before I get
up. Could this be a problem with my kidneys?
A. First, please be aware that most types of kidney
disease (such as those caused by diabetes and
high blood pressure) do not cause pain. Kidneys
rarely hurt, except in the cases of kidney stones
and kidney infection.
Pain caused by the kidneys is typically felt in the
flank area, which is in the back, just at the lower
edge of the ribs on either side of the spine. Kidney
pain usually is sharp, severe, and occurs in waves.
What isn't kidney pain
It is rare for the kidneys to cause dull, aching pain.
People sometimes equate back pain with kidney
pain, but dull aching pain in the back -- especially
the lower back or the middle of the back -- is usually
due to muscles, ligaments, or even vertebrae and
disks in the spinal column. Musculoskeletal pain
typically gets worse with movement, and is relieved
by heat or massage.
Common causes of kidney pain
This week's NetWellness column
is authored by Dr. Mildred Lam,
Nephrology Division, MetroHealth
Medical Center.
Read more
• Ask faculty experts your own
question in the Kidney Diseases
health topic
• Sign up for the NetWellness
Monthly Newsletter
1. Kidney stones: The pain caused by kidney
stones occurs when a stone becomes lodged in the ureter, the slender tube that
connects the kidney with the bladder. Urine flow is then blocked, which causes
urine to back up into the kidney. As a result, the kidney swells and enlarges,
stretching the pain-sensitive capsule, or thin covering around it.
The pain caused by kidney stones is referred to as "colic," meaning that it comes in
waves as opposed to being a steady continuous pain. Pain from kidney stones is
described as being almost as severe as that of childbirth. Patients with renal colic
usually find it very difficult to hold still, and are in constant motion, pacing and
writhing. Often the pain is so severe that it causes nausea and vomiting.
Although the pain starts in the right or left flank area, it may move as the stone
travels down the ureter. The pain may move around the side of the trunk to the
lower part of the abdomen in the front and even travel down to the groin.
2. Kidney infection (also known as "pyelonephritis"): Pain caused by kidney
infection (pyelonephritis) is related to infection and inflammation within the kidney
tissue. Infection causes the kidney to swell and stretches the pain-sensitive capsule
surrounding the kidney, leading to exquisite tenderness over the kidney.
Patients with kidney infection are very sensitive to even the lightest touch in the
flank area. They are usually quite ill with the infection, and generally have high
fever, nausea, and vomiting as well. Infection of the kidney is far more serious than
the much more common condition of bladder infection. Pyelonephritis needs to be
treated promptly with intravenous antibiotics in order to prevent spread of infection
to the bloodstream.
3. Kidney cancer: Rarely a kidney tumor, or cancer, can grow and stretch the
kidney capsule slowly, or involve nerves in the kidney area, causing pain.
http://blog.cleveland.com/health/2008/03/ask_an_expert_is_this_kidney_p.html
3/21/2008
Ask an expert: Is this kidney pain? - Health and Medical Consumer News - cleveland.co...
Page 2 of 2
4. Blocked urine flow: There are some conditions that may cause a gradual
blockage to urine flow (not a sudden blockage like that of a kidney stone); in these
cases the kidney may be stretched and cause a dull aching pain.
5. Polycystic kidney disease: A hereditary disease called polycystic kidney
disease can lead to massive enlargement of the kidneys over a period of years and
can sometimes cause a dull aching pain, which is usually felt in the front of the
abdomen rather than in the back.
6. Other less common causes of kidney pain: Uncommon causes of kidney pain
are bruising or bleeding within the kidney (for instance, due to injury), or "infarction"
of the kidney, where the blood supply is suddenly cut off because the artery
supplying blood to the kidney becomes blocked.
Remember, it is uncommon for the kidneys to be a cause of a dull aching pain. In
fact, it is extremely unusual for a slowly-occurring blockage from the conditions
listed (even cancer) to cause any pain at all.
Tags: Mildred Lam
Print This Page
| Send To A Friend
| Permalink (Learn More)
Share: Reddit | Digg | del.icio.us | Google | Yahoo | What is this?
COMMENTS (0)
Post a comment
Username (Don't Have a Username? Sign up here):
Password:
Remember Me
Login
Reset
Receive 2 weeks FREE delivery of The Plain Dealer for
complete Cleveland Cavaliers and Indians coverage!
Sign up now!
Get either 3 or 7 weeks FREE when you subscribe to
home delivery of Sun News!
up now!
Use of this site constitutes Sign
acceptance
of our User Agreement. Please read our Privacy Policy.
Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Contact interactivity management.
© 2008 cleveland.com. All Rights Reserved. RSS Feeds | Complete Index
http://blog.cleveland.com/health/2008/03/ask_an_expert_is_this_kidney_p.html
3/21/2008