Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs on either side of your body, situated below the rib cage and resting against your back muscles. They are in charge of a variety of functions, the most important of which is the elimination of waste materials and excess fluid from your bloodstream. They are also responsible for a number of other functions. Because your kidneys are pressed up against the muscles of your back, it is possible that you will feel discomfort in your kidneys even though you think you are experiencing back pain.
Certain elements are taken into consideration, as stated by Jamie Eske of Medicalnewstoday, in order to ascertain whether the pain is coming from the back or the kidneys in an effort to determine the source of the pain. The location of the pain, the nature and intensity of the pain, and any other symptoms that may be present are all important factors. This article would compare and contrast the symptoms and causes of kidney pain and back pain, as well as discuss how to differentiate between the two types of discomfort.
Read on for further details in the following:
1. Kidney discomfort
Because of their function of removing waste and toxins from the bloodstream, your kidneys are more likely to become infected or suffer damage, as stated by Jamie Eske of Medicalnewstoday. There is a possibility of an accumulation of substances in the kidneys, such as calcium, oxalate, and phosphorus, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Kidney stones can be especially painful if they produce an obstruction in the urinary tract.
However, kidney stones aren’t the only thing that can cause kidney pain; there are plenty of other possibilities. These include urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney infections, blood clots in the kidneys, and trauma or injury to the kidneys, according to Jamie Eske of Medicalnewstoday. Urinary tract infections are the most common type of kidney infection.
Location:
Keep in mind that kidney pain typically manifests itself below the rib cage and on either side of the spine. This can help you determine whether or not the discomfort you are experiencing is “regular” back pain. Depending on whether a problem affects simply one kidney or both kidneys, you may have the sensation that the pain is coming from a location deep inside your body. Additionally, the pain may be felt on one side of your body or on both sides of your body. It’s possible for the pain to spread to other parts of the body, like the sides of the abdomen, the groin, and the thighs.
The nature and degree of the discomfort
If you are experiencing pain in your kidneys as a result of kidney stones, it is possible that you will not experience any pain if the kidney stones are little. Small kidney stones have a tendency to move through the urinary system without providing a great deal of discomfort to the patient. On the other hand, if the stones are particularly large, the patient may suffer from excruciating agony that gets progressively worse as the stone passes from the kidney to the ureters. If your kidneys are simply infected, the only symptom you are likely to experience is a constant dull discomfort or soreness if your kidneys are infected.
Symptoms that go along with it…
In addition to the kidney pain symptoms discussed above, you may also experience other symptoms that can serve as an early warning sign that something is wrong with your kidneys. Among these are symptoms such as urine that is murky or bloody, painful urination, a constant urge to urinate, nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, exhaustion, fever, and dizziness. The symptoms of severe kidney damage can include poor breath, swelling of the legs, ankles, or feet, shortness of breath, a taste like metal, confusion, an erratic pulse, and muscle spasms. In addition, significant kidney disease can cause a heartbeat that is irregular.
2. Back pain
Statistics show that over 80 percent of adults will suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is highly frequent and affects a large percentage of people. Back pain is frequently caused by issues that affect the muscles, bones, or nerves located in the back. The location of the pain, its severity, and the accompanying symptoms frequently vary depending on the underlying reason. Nevertheless, one of the most typical causes of back discomfort is straining a muscle or ligament in the back.
If you overstretch, lift too much weight, or use the wrong lifting techniques, you could be putting unnecessary strain on your back, according to Medicalnewstoday. Incorrect posture, prolonged periods of standing or sitting, an irregular curvature of the spine, injuries to the back such as fractures or falls, muscle spasms, muscle tension, tumors, and damaged, displaced, or ruptured discs are some of the other probable reasons of back pain.
It’s also possible that you have a medical problem that’s causing your back pain. Osteoporosis, herpes zoster, inflammatory illnesses like arthritis and spondylitis, cancer of the spine, infections, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cauda equina syndrome, which affects the nerves at the base of the spinal cord, and endometriosis are a few of the conditions that fall under this category.
Location
Even though back pain can manifest itself in any region of your back, you are more likely to experience “ordinary” back pain in your lower back. Pain in the kidneys is not as common as pain in the lower back, as reported by Medicalnewstoday. This is a significant deviation from the common experience of kidney pain. It is not expected that the discomfort in your back will spread to other parts of your body, including your groin, sides, abdomen, and thighs.
