It is difficult for most people to pinpoint the source of their back pain - kidney or spine. Therefore, at the household level, renal colic is often confused with symptoms of musculoskeletal conditions. Meanwhile, the paired organ has its own specificity and characteristic symptoms arise during the disease process.
It is possible to understand what hurts - the lower back or the kidneys - if you pay attention to the presence of accompanying symptoms. Most often, diseases of renal origin occur against the background of a deterioration in health, accompanied by temperature. Episodes of nausea and frequent urination may occur.
In addition, renal colic is always localized to the site of the grafted organ. It can appear on the left or right side, but rarely all over the back. If pain manifests in the middle of the lower back, this is most likely the case in the spine or back muscles.
In the practice of urology, pain in the low back can be of varying intensity, frequency, and frequency of occurrence, disappearing or not after antispasmodics.
Do the kidneys hurt?
Well, it cannot be ruled out that if your back hurts, the kidneys are the source of the problem. Feelings of discomfort or pain of varying degrees are manifested in such cases:
- organ prolapse (kidney failure);
- inflammation (pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis);
- rock formations;
- other diseases of the genitourinary system.
Dull or sharp kidney pain, weakness, or sharp pain in the lower back. In many cases, they are unable to distinguish the pain felt from sciatica or osteonecrosis. Pain can spread to other areas: groin, thighs, etc. v.
Sometimes the discomfort is turned off and, on the contrary, increased - for example, when pressure is increased in a patient with nephropathy or due to moving stones.
How to know if your kidneys are damaged
When the source of lower back pain is the kidneys, accompanying symptoms are often present. It is possible to identify them even independently, at home. However, for a more accurate diagnosis of the disease, you should contact specialists. Only on the basis of comprehensive diagnostic measures is it possible to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an effective therapy.
Another sign: when the kidneys are in pain, the pain in the lumbar region does not go away or does not get worse when changing the position of the body - this is characteristic of a pathology of the spine. The pain is constant and is usually only eliminated with spasmolytics.
Features of kidney pain
Renal back pain is of two main types:
- Dull and aching, accompanied by heaviness in the lower back - this is a symptom of an inflammatory disease (pyelonephritis).
- Sharp, dagger - caused by abdominal pain, which occurs due to the impact of stones on the nerve endings of internal organs or obstruction of the urethra (with urolithiasis).
When the reason is pain in the lower back, kidney - pain sensations do not change in nature. They are insidious or acute - consistent with the etiology of the disease. But musculoskeletal pain is different: it usually flows from an acute phase to a deafening phase, fades with rest, and resumes at the start of activity.
Localization of back pain
If you carefully "listen" to yourself, you can feel the exact symptoms of kidney pain. Since the paired organ is located at some distance from the surface of the body, behind the spine, pain is concentrated there, deep. Conversely, when a person feels discomfort closer to the back surface, it is most likely due to the spine or back muscles.
Whenever back pain in the kidney area, one can confidently judge the real cause. Effective diagnostic methods such as ultrasound, computed tomography, and MRI help clarify the diagnosis. In addition, blood and urine tests are performed. All these procedures are performed in the clinic under the supervision of the attending physician.
Irradiation of pain
Back pain often spreads throughout the body, causing discomfort.
Soreness can affect the following parts of the body:
- inner thigh area;
- under the abdomen;
- groin area.
There may be pronounced cramps in the urethra - they are also caused by kidney disease.
There is no question whether the back can be caused by kidney pain - this is a common symptom of the inflammatory process inside the organ. If you feel pain in both your lower and lower back, you can assume that it is kidney disease.
Back pain and physical activity
With osteosarcoma or rheumatism, a person is limited in movements, has great difficulty bending and squatting, often unable to stand upright - any change in body position is accompanied by sensationsmarked pain.
Back pain associated with kidney disease presents differently. A person may experience discomfort when standing or lying on their back, and in other positions, no pain. Changing positions is much easier. Finding a comfortable position can help you feel more relaxed.
Physical activity is more difficult to tolerate with nephropathy: with active movements, pain in the back, where the kidneys, may increase.
Tapping behind
To find out if the kidneys or spine are the source of low back pain, you can use the back percussion technique.
Mining Algorithm:
- The person lies on his stomach, part of his back exposed below the lower ribs.
- An open palm is placed over this area.
- With a fist (as well as with the edge of the palm or fingertips), tap the palm that is lying down.
If, when knocked on, the back pain in the kidney area increases, then the transplant is the real source of it.
It is important to understand that the effectiveness of this method does not depend on the force of the stroke: the sensation of pain manifests when the shock occurs as a result of the stroke. Therefore, when mining in the domestic environment, the assistant must act carefully.
The real cause of pain in the lower back
You can understand why your back hurts in the kidney area by understanding what's causing the discomfort. Most often, the reasons are external - they are related to physical activity, increased stress, sharp changes in temperature, illness.
To find out why there is pain - from the kidneys or the spine - just remembering what happened the day before is enough. The following events commonly lead to rheumatic fever:
- hard manual labor;
- sudden or intense training;
- lift the weight;
- any unusual loads;
- unfortunately fell.
All of this often leads to muscle tension, nerve compression, spinal disc displacement, or hernia formation.
Kidney problems are caused by swimming in cold water, hypothermia, sitting on the ground, or viral illness - ARVI or sore throat.
Other signs of kidney disease
How to distinguish renal colic from osteochondrosis or sciatica? To do this, it is enough to pay attention to the characteristic symptoms of kidney disease.
The following signs are never associated with spinal problems:
- high temperature - the temperature rises to 40 C;
- noticeable swelling in the morning;
- impurities of blood and pus in the urine;
- increased urination;
- burning sensation when urinating;
- pressure increase;
- nausea;
- sleep impairment.
How to distinguish pyelonephritis from osteonecrosis or back muscle problems? A clear sign of the inflammatory process is the appearance of purulent granules in the urine.
Back pain symptoms
If the lower back pulls, the kidneys are not involved. The symptoms of spinal diseases and muscle problems are very similar. However, muscle spasms are manifested by a characteristic tingling sensation, there may be "goose bumps" at the site of pain. Muscles appear to be numb, but sensitivity is restored with the use of surface-warming agents - gels, ointments or other drugs with anti-inflammatory action.
Rubbing is not effective for kidney problems. But taking antispasmodics relieves the patient's condition. Another tip on how to differentiate osteonecrosis from nephrolithiasis is to take a warm bath. As a result of the heat exposure, the body will relax and the spasms caused by the accumulation will subside.
Check for kidney and low back pain
When having a kidney scan, it is important to undergo a comprehensive examination, of which general tests are a part. Renal pathology is confirmed by increased levels of ESR and white blood cells, and sometimes by low hemoglobin in the blood. Urinalysis should confirm leukocytosis, with inflammation - it shows impurities of pus, with stones - an excess of salts and impurities in the blood.
To clarify the diagnosis of an inflammatory disease, urine samples are taken. And also prescribe urine culture.
When the source of lower back pain is the kidneys, treatment is given after additional abdominal ultrasound. Computed tomography is indicated if cancer is suspected.
Extra-adrenal pathologies are diagnosed primarily by examination and x-rays.