Nephrologist patients are well aware of what renal colic is and how to relieve this pain. And what if the discomfort in the lower back appeared for the first time? How to identify kidney pain from others? And what tests do you have to go through to get an accurate diagnosis? What is the danger of advanced diseases of the urinary system? You will find answers to all these questions in this article.
Possible causes of lower back discomfort
Pain in the lower back can occur for various reasons. Gynecological diseases, intervertebral hernia, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, appendicitis, chronic cholecystitis, sciatic nerve diseases can provoke it. How to determine that the problem is in the kidneys? After all, the treatment in all these cases will be fundamentally different.
With gynecological diseases, physiotherapy, heavy drinking, hot baths are contraindicated. Paroxysmal pain that occurs sharply and painfully, with a high degree of probability, may be appendicitis. In this case, you need to urgently call an ambulance.
How to distinguish kidney pain from discomfort in other organs?
The first thing you should pay attention to is the color of urine and the soreness of its excretion. If the kidneys are sore, then in most cases the process of urination is complicated. Cramps and discomfort are an eloquent sign that there are violations in the urinary system. If the kidneys are very sore, treatment should take place in a hospital.
Here are the main symptoms that speak eloquently about the failure of urological dynamics and the inflammatory process:
- frequent urge to the toilet;
- urine leaves in small portions every 15-20 minutes;
- the temperature rises to forty degrees, and the patient begins to rave;
- sometimes, on the contrary, there is a rare and profuse painless urination;
- clouding of urine and the appearance of an epithelium in it - a cotton-like sediment;
- blood or pus in the urine;
- swelling of the face and limbs.
How and where do kidneys hurt?
Renal colic is a strong, sudden, in some cases paroxysmal pain in the left or right side of the lower back.
Sometimes the thread can give to the abdomen or intercostal region. Doctors often confuse these symptoms with intercostal neuralgia or diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Only analyzes will help to make a reliable picture and find out what is actually the cause of discomfort.
Most often, severe colic accompany the process of discharge of sand or stones with urolithiasis. Patients themselves can provoke the passage of sand with heavy drinking or diuretics. The movement of stones and small stones along the ureter can also cause sharp pain in the very lower abdomen, almost in the inguinal region. With such symptoms, an urgent medical team must be called up, as a blockage or rupture of the ureter can occur.
Renal colic is also characteristic of the acute stage of pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis. In this case, the patient begins a fever up to forty degrees, vomiting and diarrhea may open. This condition requires urgent antibacterial therapy, and it is impossible to cure it at home.
First aid at home
It is urgent to call an ambulance team with the following symptoms in a patient:
- renal colic that does not subside for more than an hour;
- temperature above 39 degrees, fever, delirium;
- mild or completely absent urination;
- blood and pus in the urine;
- vomiting for all of the above symptoms.
While waiting for an ambulance, you can try to provide the patient first aid.
In no case do not put a heating pad and other warming compresses in the patient’s lower back and abdomen. If the stones leave, then heat will provoke their progress, and in some cases this will lead to rupture of the ureter and internal bleeding.
If the patient has a fever, open the window, let the room be ventilated and the air temperature will be about 18 degrees. In heat, bacteria multiply faster. In extreme cases, you can give a tablet of Paracetamol, but it is better to wait for an ambulance, the doctors will give the patient a lytic injection. It will provide a decrease in temperature in half an hour to 37 degrees.
Until you know the exact diagnosis, you should not self-medicate. Diuretics, herbs and anti-inflammatory drugs should be taken only after the appointment of a nephrologist. If the kidneys hurt, the symptoms are unfavorable (pain, turbid urine, fever), call an ambulance.
Types of pain and their provoking diseases
Unpleasant sensations vary in time and intensity. Many patients complain of kidney pain. Symptoms and treatment in each case will be different.
Symptoms of urolithiasis:
- Sharp piercing pain, suddenly rolling in bouts.
- There is blood in the urine.
- The right kidney is severely sore (sometimes the left one - depending on the location of the stones).
- Nausea and lack of appetite.
- Frequent urges and at the same time a small amount of urine excreted.
When pyelonephritis is characterized by aching, constant dull pain. In the urine - epithelium, sediment. It has a cloudy dark color and an unpleasant odor. The patient is characterized by severe swelling of the limbs and face, fever, and fever.
A symptom such as pain in the kidneys and abdomen at the same time is characteristic of hydronephrosis. This disease is also accompanied by chills, fever. Aching pain in the joints and muscles may appear.
Diagnosis of kidney disease
Today in a hospital it is possible to find out exactly what the patient suffers from in a day.
- Laboratory tests. Biochemical blood test: an increase in creatinine and urea will indicate kidney dysfunction. A complete blood count will tell you how far the inflammatory process has gone. Leukocyturia, an increase in the level of bacteria indicate an infectious process. Urinalysis according to Nechiporenko: protein and white blood cells indicate glomerulonephritis or pyelonephritis. Problems with bilirubin in the tests - a mess with the liver.
- A test according to Zimnitsky will allow you to check the performance of the urinary system and exclude renal failure.
- Ultrasound (ultrasound) is a modern and safe method for the diagnosis of kidneys. The doctor will be able to see the presence of cysts and tumors, echogenicity, structure and exact size of organs, and the state of the pyelocaliceal system. An ultrasound scan checks not only the kidneys, but also the bladder, adrenal glands, and ureters.
- Excretory urography is a method of X-ray examination. Contrast fluid is administered intravenously. With its help, problem areas with inflammation, seals, tumors, cysts are highlighted in the image. Most often it is prescribed to check the patency and obstruction of the flow of urine in the ureter. It also allows you to determine the structure of stones and sand.
- Computed tomography and MRI are painless and modern methods for the diagnosis of kidneys. Used to clarify the diagnosis in case of doubts of the urologist about the appropriateness of the therapy used.
- A kidney biopsy is a sampling of biomaterial (most often done in the presence of tumors) to identify its malignant nature. It is carried out for an accurate diagnosis and the choice of subsequent treatment. If the kidneys hurt after a biopsy, consult your doctor immediately.
Traditional treatment
How appropriate is the treatment of kidney disease at home? If this is possible, then only after making an accurate diagnosis. If this is chronic pyelonephritis, sand or stones that have passed away, mild inflammation, then home treatment with infusions of herbs and warming of the lumbar region is quite acceptable.
If your kidneys are sore, try the following simple recipes for traditional medicine:
- Rosehip tea. This plant has excellent diuretic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Rosehip is brewed like regular tea. It should be drunk twice a day in a glass, warm and slightly sweetened.
- Cook yourself or buy kidney tea at the pharmacy. This is a collection of special herbs - orthosiphon stamen, chamomile, yarrow. Regular drinking of this drink will serve as the best prevention of urethritis and cystitis.
- Millet for kidney cleaning: take 200 g of cereal and pour a liter of boiling water. Received muddy infusion to take half a cup half an hour before meals three times a day. Be careful with this method: if there are stones, then they can come off and go out.
- Flaxseed decoction has antibacterial properties and is good for chronic pyelonephritis during exacerbations.
Urolithiasis (kidney pain): how to treat?
Most cases of calling an ambulance due to lower back pain occur precisely due to the departure of stones. This is an acute condition and requires urgent medical attention.
If the left kidney hurts (and in some cases the right one), the nature of the sensations is sharp and unbearable, then this most likely has left the stone. It moves along the urinary tract, causing acute pain. The outflow of urine either completely stops or is partial.
If there is a suspicion of stone moving away, urgently call an ambulance, hospitalization is necessary. Treating such a condition at home is unacceptable! Internal bleeding may open, this threatens the patient with a fatal outcome. In some cases, surgical intervention is necessary, sometimes it can do without it. After the release of stones and sand, it should be observed by a nephrologist to exclude complications in the form of glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis. Every patient with a suspected urolithiasis should undergo the necessary examinations and tests.
Pyelonephritis: what is dangerous and what are the symptoms?
In acute course, it is dangerous for the development of chronic renal failure (renal dysfunction). That is why it is important to contact a nephrologist on time. With this disease, the tubules and pelvis of the kidney are damaged, as well as the organ parenchyma. The chronic course of pyelonephritis can last for years and manifest itself with the following symptoms:
- fever;
- clouding of urine;
- nausea;
- vomiting
- swelling of the extremities;
- lack of appetite.
How do kidneys hurt? Symptoms in women (with pyelonephritis) are slightly different from symptoms in men. In particular, female anatomical features contribute to the spread of the infectious process through the urogenital organs.
Renal failure
The most formidable complication of any diseases of the urinary system. Renal failure is a renal dysfunction in which they are unable to perform their tasks. The main diagnostic criterion is the overwhelming indicators of creatinine and urea in a biochemical blood test.
Renal failure is an incurable disease. Patients need a kidney transplant or a lifetime stay on the hemodialysis procedure. Take care of your health in a timely manner and do not let the condition of the kidneys and bladder drift!
In order to prevent such a serious complication as renal failure, it is necessary, at the slightest discomfort (symptoms of an aching kidney), to visit a nephrologist or urologist, regularly take blood and urine tests to identify pathologies in the early stages.
Kidney Diet
For prevention and during the period of remission of any diseases of the kidneys and bladder, a diet is very important. Some foods will have to be eliminated once and for all from your diet.
The basic principles of therapeutic nutrition, if the kidneys hurt (table number 7):
- Exclude pickles, canned food, savory foods. Eat only homemade food, the preparation of which used a minimum of salt and no hot spices, flavor enhancers. If the disease is in an acute stage, doctors recommend for a couple of weeks to almost completely abandon salt in food.
- Fatty meat - lamb, pork, beef - an undesirable diet.
- Cakes with fat cream, puff and yeast dough to exclude. Sweets are not prohibited on a diet, but they should be selected with a minimum fat content. Better yet, cook moderately sweet oatmeal cookies without salt at home.
- It is necessary to reduce the intake of protein of any origin. It overloads the kidneys. During an exacerbation of the disease, reduce the amount of protein in the diet to 30 g per day.
- Fast food (hamburgers, pizza, cocktails, french fries) must be completely excluded from the diet due to the high content of flavor enhancers, salt and fat.
- In any quantities, you can eat porridge - buckwheat, oat, pearl barley, semolina. Feel free to use sugar and jam as a sweetener. In a bowl of porridge, you need to add a tablespoon of olive oil to fill the need for healthy fats.
- Steamed vegetables can be eaten without restrictions.
- From drinks, give preference to dried fruit compotes, skim milk. Do not lean on kefir and fermented baked milk - they are rich in proteins. Carbonated drinks and alcoholic cocktails are prohibited forever - they bring harm not only to the kidneys, but also to the body as a whole.