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Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
shooting pains in kidneys
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
shooting pains in kidneys
by campy, Sep 28, 2001 12:00AM
I am getting shooting pains in my right kidney that are lasting only a few seconds at a time but have been persisting for two days now and occur about 10-20 times per hour as a rough estimate. What is my body telling me? Should I see a doctor?
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-DT, Sep 28, 2001 12:00AM
Thank you for your question and for visiting the Family Practice Forum.
I will assume that you know where your kidneys are. (By making an imaginary line around to your back starting at the nipple, this would approximately correspond to the top of the kidney).
Pain coming from the kidney [or urinary tract - which includes the ureter (tube connecting kidney and bladder) and the bladder] typically is due to either infection or possibly a kidney stone. These pains are intermittent which make a stone more likely, however, it would not be uncommon to have gallbladder pain present in this area as well.
The approach to this problem is to, yes, go to the doctor where I would suspect a urinalysis would be done. (this will greatly help the doctor determine if in fact this is a urinary tract problem).
If the urine test is normal, the next step may be a blood test and/or ultrasound to determine if there is any abnormality of the gallbladder (or kidney) or evidence of liver inflammation.
Other possibilities include muscle strain or even some inflammation of the colon.
As a general rule, pain is your body's way of telling you that "something is wrong". To help you make the most of your doctor's appointment, make a list of 1) how long the symptoms have been present 2) a description of what the pain is "like" i.e. sharp, dull, achy, radiating. 3)Be sure to let the doctor know of any OTHER symptoms you may have had such as:
Fever
pain with urination
blood in the urine
increased frequency of urination
nausea
vomiting
changes in your stools (bowel movements)
history of recent muscle strain to the back
I wish you well!
Dean M. Tomasello, M.D.
I will assume that you know where your kidneys are. (By making an imaginary line around to your back starting at the nipple, this would approximately correspond to the top of the kidney).
Pain coming from the kidney [or urinary tract - which includes the ureter (tube connecting kidney and bladder) and the bladder] typically is due to either infection or possibly a kidney stone. These pains are intermittent which make a stone more likely, however, it would not be uncommon to have gallbladder pain present in this area as well.
The approach to this problem is to, yes, go to the doctor where I would suspect a urinalysis would be done. (this will greatly help the doctor determine if in fact this is a urinary tract problem).
If the urine test is normal, the next step may be a blood test and/or ultrasound to determine if there is any abnormality of the gallbladder (or kidney) or evidence of liver inflammation.
Other possibilities include muscle strain or even some inflammation of the colon.
As a general rule, pain is your body's way of telling you that "something is wrong". To help you make the most of your doctor's appointment, make a list of 1) how long the symptoms have been present 2) a description of what the pain is "like" i.e. sharp, dull, achy, radiating. 3)Be sure to let the doctor know of any OTHER symptoms you may have had such as:
Fever
pain with urination
blood in the urine
increased frequency of urination
nausea
vomiting
changes in your stools (bowel movements)
history of recent muscle strain to the back
I wish you well!
Dean M. Tomasello, M.D.
Last week I had lower back pain and just thought I pulled a muscle. But then my urine was green.
It is a lower right pain hurts when I stand and sit!! Last week I thought I had a virus I was very nausea and stomach pain. What could this possibly be.??
While it is possible that your urine is green, what you describe sounds more likely like a vaginal infection which may cause the urine to "appear" green due to discharge that may be present in the urine. Vaginal infections, including Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, are associated with lower abdominal pain and/or flank pain. While kidney stones are a possibility as well, these will usually result in an intermittent "crampy" and severe pain with associated blood in the urine. The answer to your question will become obvious through a urine test and a vaginal (pelvic) exam by your physician.
Dean M. Tomasello, M.D.