Why kidneys ache

Give Monthly Give In Honor. Kidney pain. Related Your Health. Your Health. Your kidneys are fist-sized organs shaped like beans that are located at the back of the middle of your trunk, in the area called your flank.

They are under the lower part of your ribcage on the right and left sides of your backbone. Their main job is to filter waste out of your blood and produce urine to remove that waste along with extra fluid from your body. However, the type and location of the pain and other symptoms you are having can help point to your kidney as the source of your pain.

Kidney pain is usually a constant dull ache deep in your right or left flank, or both flanks, that often gets worse when someone gently hits the area. Only one kidney is usually affected in most conditions, so you typically feel pain on only one side of your back. If both kidneys are affected, the pain will be on both sides. Kidney pain is a sign that there is something wrong with one or both of your kidneys. Your kidney may hurt for these reasons:. Kidney pain is almost always a sign that something is wrong with your kidney.

Kidney pain may point to conditions such as kidney infections or kidney stones, among others. These conditions can affect how well the kidneys function, so it is essential to seek medical advice for kidney pain. This article will discuss where in the body someone may feel kidney pain and what it might feel like.

It will also explore the possible causes of kidney pain and when to contact a doctor. A person may feel kidney pain under the lower part of their rib cage. They may feel kidney pain on either their right or left side, or they may experience it on both sides at the same time. They may also feel pain relating to the kidneys anywhere in the urinary system, such as the bladder.

Kidney pain may feel like a constant, dull pain or ache. Alternatively, it may be excruciating and sharp. What the pain feels like will likely depend on its cause.

Also, individuals may feel and respond to kidney pain differently. If a person experiences pain in their mid to upper back, it could indicate that there is something wrong with their kidneys. Kidney pain in the back may be a constant ache, or it may be sharp and sudden. The most common causes of kidney pain that radiates to the back are infections and kidney stones. Kidney stones can cause a person to experience excruciating pain that feels like spasms.

This pain may also spread to the groin. However, if kidney pain worsens when a person bends over or lifts something, it may be the result of back muscle or bone problems rather than an issue affecting the kidney. Learn how to tell the difference between back pain and kidney pain here. A person may also feel kidney pain in their groin. This may happen because pain can radiate to areas of the body other than where it originates.

Most people who are diagnosed and treated promptly with antibiotics feel completely better after about 2 weeks. People who are older or have underlying conditions may take longer to recover. A kidney infection usually happens when bacteria, often a type called E. The bacteria travel up to your bladder, causing cystitis, and then up into your kidneys.

They can be transferred from your bottom to your genitals during sex or if you're not careful when wiping your bottom after going to the loo. A kidney infection can sometimes develop without a bladder infection.

For example, if you have a problem with your kidney, such as kidney stones, or if you have diabetes or a weakened immune system. Kidney infections can happen at any age and are much more common in women.

This is because a woman's urethra is shorter, making it easier for bacteria to reach the kidneys.