What are Kidney Stones Symptoms?

If you ask anyone who has suffered from kidney stone symptoms they will be very clear with you what the main symptom of a kidney stone is - intense pain!. Some suffers will even tell you it is "the worst pain they have ever experienced". So what causes this intense pain? Well lets start by first saying that not all kidney stones actually produce painful symptoms. The pain goes hand in hand with the size of the kidney stone. Some kidney stones can be so small that they are nothing more than the size of a grain of sand and will be passed out in urine without us ever knowing they existed. As the kidney stones get bigger then the chances of them blocking off urine flow out of the kidney increases and this blockage is at the core of the painful symptoms of a kidney stone.

Initially the kidney stone can remain attached to the inside of the kidney wall where its existence goes on unnoticed, but at some point it will detach and move into the ureter - the tube that leads from the kidney to the bladder. This will block off the natural flow of urine. As the urine gets backed up, the kidney begins to swell and swell some more. This swelling of the kidney is what causes the fundamental pain. Of course the pain of the stone making its way to the bladder and then on to be passed out in the urine is no pleasant matter either, but this is a lesser pain than the actual swelling of the kidney (yes really!). This pain will not end until the kidney stone has been passed, or if its too big, removed by surgery.

The pain is experienced in the back and to the side just below the ribs where the kidney is located. This of course can be experienced on the right side or the left depending upon which kidney is affected. The pain can also move in waves towards the lower abdominal area and the groin. The pain is usually infrequent too, in its intensity, meaning that it alternates between intense periods that can last between 20 minutes to an hour and less painful periods.

Other common symptoms of a kidney stone include blood in the urine, a constant urge to urinate, foul smelling urine and urinary tract infections.

The most usual treatment for an average sized kidney stone is simply to pass it, in which case your doctor will usually advise you to drink 2-3 quartz of water each day to flush out the kidney stone and also prescribe you pain medication and send you home.

If the kidney stone is to big to be passed then there are other methods that your doctor may administer such as sound wave treatment. Using a special piece of equipment a doctor or health professional will blast your kidney with a sound wave that will 'shock' the stone and crack it into smaller pieces that can be passed. This is a painful treatment and generally requires sedation.

Surgery is also another option, especially if sound wave treatment is ineffective at breaking up the kidney stone. A small incision is made through you back and into the kidney to remove the stone.

A utereoscope may also be used. This is a thin tube that is lighted and equipped with a camera. It is passed through your urethra (the tube between your genitals and bladder) into the bladder and then on to the ureter where it will meet with the stone. At which point special tools built into the utereoscope can break up the stone into smaller pieces or ensnare the stone to pull it out. (ouch)

Unfortunately there is not really a lot that can be done once a kidney stone has moved into the ureter other than to pass it or go through one of the above described methods if the stone is too big. The real natural treatment for kidney stones is prevention. In many cases the formation of kidney stones could have been avoided through dietary measures. The foods we eat (and don't eat can play a big role in preventing the development of kidney stones. You can read more about this at Have Kidney Stones Symptoms? - Try Juicing.