Kidney stones are a health condition that affects about one million people in the USA every year. Kidney stones are created when there is a strong concentration of certain minerals and salts within the fluid of the kidney. A bonding together of the mineral calcium with oxalate salts is the most common cause, accounting for over 3/4 of all kidney stones. Calcium phosphate stones are the second most popular followed by uric acid stones. Struvite kidney stones are a rare kind that only effects some people with certain medical disorders.
Symptoms of a Kidney Stone
One of the main issues with kidney stones is that they deliver no symptoms while they steadily grow within the kidney. However, when they do decide to leave the kidney and travel into the thin tube, the ureter, between the kidney and the bladder the symptoms of a kidney stone become severe and sudden.
The pain will start as a mild ache in the kidney area, in the back, below the ribs, and towards one side or the other depending upon which kidney is affected. From there the pain will often progress towards the lower abdomen and even down towards the groin. The mild ache will soon develop into excruciating pain that may even cause some people to pass out. Women who have suffered with kidney stones symptoms say that it is worse than the pain of giving birth!
Although it is reasonable to assume that the pain is the result of the sharp crystal like stone cutting and tearing its way through the ureter, the intense pain is actually caused by something else. It is the stone blocking off the flow of urine through the ureter and causing the kidney to swell that creates the awful pain. As the kidney fills with more urine and expands further the pain increases.
Unfortunately once a kidney stone moves into the ureter there is nothing we can do but go through the painful processes of passing it. Your doctor, in most cases, will just prescribe pain medication and tell you to drink lots of water to create pressure to push the stone through. For some, the stone will be too big too pass and more intensive measures may be needed such as using shock waves to break up the kidney stone or in worst cases scenarios surgery will be required.