The most important symptoms of kidney stones
If you already know you have a small kidney stone, there shouldn’t be any symptoms whatsoever, mostly because the stone passes through your urinary tract. If your kidney stone is larger, then you might have a couple of symptoms of kidney stones:
Back pain, belly pain, and side pain
Kidney stone pain, also known as renal colic, is probably one of the most severe kinds of pain you could ever experience. It is said that some people who’ve been through kidney stones pain compare it to childbirth or even getting stabbed with a knife.
The pain is so intense that it accounts for over half a million visits to emergency rooms every year. Normally, the pain initiates when a stone moves into the narrow ureter. Then, this causes the blockage, which creates pressure that builds up in the kidney.
The pressure tickles the nerve fibers that later transmit pain signals to the brain. As it turns out, kidney stone pain starts all of a sudden. As the stones move, the pain changes not only its location but also its intensity. Pain often comes and goes in waves, which is much worse because of the ureter that’s constantly contracting in its attempt to push the stone out.
Pain and burning during urination
As the stone reaches the junction between the ureter and bladder, you might start to feel pain as soon as you urinate. You might hear your doctor call it dysuria. It’s worth mentioning that the pain can feel very sharp or even burning. If you don’t even know you have kidney stones, you might even mistake it for a UTI. Sometimes, an infection might come along with the stone.
