Diagnosis of kidney pain | Pain in the kidney area

Diagnosis of kidney pain

Diagnosis of kidney pain is made up of several components. First of all, the medical history is important. The examining physician will ask how long the pain has existed, whether it is unilateral or bilateral, whether there was a trigger for the pain, where exactly it is located, whether it is always present or only occurs sometimes, whether it is wavelike, whether such pain has occurred before, whether kidney stones are known, whether there are accompanying symptoms such as fever, chills, blood in the urine or water retention, whether there are previous illnesses and which medications are taken regularly.

This is followed by a physical examination. The doctor will examine the back and kidneys, among other things. He can tap the spine to test if it is painful, he can perform various movement tests and test the kidney bearings for knocking pain.

To do this, he strikes the area where the kidney is located carefully but firmly with the fist or the edge of his hand. If the patient reports this as painful, this may be an indication of an inflammatory process in the area of the kidneys. Often a urine status is also recorded.

For this the patient has to pass urine. This is examined in more detail either by means of a urine strip test or in the laboratory, among other things for the presence of inflammatory cells and blood components. Under certain circumstances, a blood test may be useful to assess inflammation values and kidney function. An ultrasound examination of the kidneys can also be performed. Here the size and structure of the kidneys can be assessed, cysts and kidney stones can be looked for and possible urinary retention can be ruled out.

Associated symptoms of kidney pain

The possible accompanying symptoms of kidney pain differ depending on the underlying disease. In the presence of inflammation of the renal pelvis, this is often accompanied by high fever with chills, and patients feel very weak and ill. Renal cysts often do not cause any symptoms at all. Glomoerulonephritis can be accompanied by water retention.

These can be located in the legs, but also, for example, in the area of the eyelids. Glomerulonephritis can also be accompanied by blood in the urine. It is also a typical symptom of kidney stones. Renal colics, which are caused by the discharge of kidney stones, are often accompanied by severe restlessness as well as nausea and vomiting. If there is a cystitis, there is burning pain when urinating and a frequent urge to urinate.