{"id":138,"date":"2020-02-19T13:56:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T13:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthissues24.co.za\/?p=138"},"modified":"2020-02-19T13:56:08","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T13:56:08","slug":"where-does-your-back-hurt-if-you-have-a-kidney-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/where-does-your-back-hurt-if-you-have-a-kidney-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"Where does your back hurt if you have a kidney infection?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Kidney pain can<\/strong>\u00a0occur on one or both sides of\u00a0<strong>the back<\/strong>\u00a0just below\u00a0<strong>the<\/strong>\u00a0rib cage. Causes of\u00a0<strong>kidney pain<\/strong>\u00a0include UTIs,\u00a0<strong>kidney<\/strong>\u00a0stones, and blunt force trauma to\u00a0<strong>the kidneys<\/strong>.\u00a0<strong>Back pain can<\/strong>\u00a0affect\u00a0<strong>the<\/strong>\u00a0entire\u00a0<strong>back<\/strong>, but most people experience\u00a0<strong>pain<\/strong>\u00a0in\u00a0<strong>the<\/strong>\u00a0lower\u00a0<strong>back<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>How to tell the difference between kidney pain and back pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid from the bloodstream. These two organs sit on either side of the body just below the rib cage. The kidneys rest against the back muscles, which can make it difficult to tell the difference between kidney pain and back pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When trying to determine whether the pain is coming from the back or kidneys, people need to take into account:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>the location of the pain<\/li><li>the type and severity of the pain<\/li><li>any accompanying symptoms<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we discuss the main characteristics and causes of kidney pain and\u00a0back pain. We also cover when to see a doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Kidney pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The kidneys filter out waste and toxins from the bloodstream, which makes them susceptible to infection and damage. Excess&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/248958.php\">calcium<\/a>, oxalate, and phosphorous can accumulate in the kidneys to form&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/154193.php\">kidney stones<\/a>, which can be painful if they cause a blockage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Location<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kidney pain occurs below the rib cage on either side of a person\u2019s spine. It can also feel as though the pain is coming from deep within the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People may experience pain on one or both sides of the body depending on whether a condition affects only one kidney or both kidneys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kidney pain can radiate to other areas of the body, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>the sides<\/li><li>abdomen<\/li><li>groin<\/li><li>thigh<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>Type and severity of pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Small kidney stones often pass through the urinary system without causing much pain. However, larger stones can cause a sharp, intense pain that typically worsens when the stone moves from the kidney to the ureters. The ureters are tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder and form part of the urinary system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\u00a0kidney infection\u00a0can cause a dull ache or soreness that remains stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Accompanying symptoms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Conditions that affect the kidneys can cause other symptoms, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>cloudy or bloody urine<\/li><li>painful urination<\/li><li>a persistent need to urinate<\/li><li>nausea<\/li><li>vomiting<\/li><li>constipation\u00a0or\u00a0diarrhea<\/li><li>fever<\/li><li>dizziness<\/li><li>fatigue<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Signs of severe kidney damage or problems can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>bad breath<\/li><li>metallic taste<\/li><li>shortness of breath<\/li><li>swelling of the legs, ankles, or feet<\/li><li>confusion<\/li><li>irregular heartbeat<\/li><li>muscle cramps<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>Causes of kidney pain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Conditions that cause kidney pain include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>urinary tract infections\u00a0(UTIs)<\/li><li>kidney stones<\/li><li>kidney infections<\/li><li>blood clots in the kidneys<\/li><li>trauma or injury to the kidneys<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kidney pain can\u00a0occur on one or both sides of\u00a0the back\u00a0just below\u00a0the\u00a0rib cage. Causes of\u00a0kidney pain\u00a0include UTIs,\u00a0kidney\u00a0stones, and blunt force trauma to\u00a0the kidneys.\u00a0Back pain can\u00a0affect\u00a0the\u00a0entire\u00a0back, but most people experience\u00a0pain\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0lower\u00a0back. How to tell the difference between kidney pain and back pain The kidneys remove waste products and excess fluid from the bloodstream. These two organs sit on\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/where-does-your-back-hurt-if-you-have-a-kidney-infection\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unionline24.co.za\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}