Definition
The kidney is a paired organ, which lies on the side of the spine, just below the end of the last rib. Its main function is the production of urine. For this purpose, the blood is passed through small filters and thus cleansed of harmful and excess substances, the so-called urinary substances. Since this filtering is very important for the body, kidney diseases can have serious consequences and cause severe pain. These often occur at different times of the day and can be more frequent in the morning.
Causes
Kidney pain in the morning can have a variety of causes. Since kidney pain is often not clearly localizable, it is very important to distinguish kidney pain from back pain. Particularly in the morning, tension and associated pain in the back can occur.
During sleep many people do not notice an uncomfortable position and the tension does not appear until the next morning. However, if the kidney is the cause of the pain, this can be due to the fact that it has been many hours since the last urination and urine accumulates. Drainage-related disorders are particularly noticeable when lying down.
Since one usually does not drink any fluids at night, the kidney is not flushed as well. The urine becomes more concentrated and pain is increased, especially if the kidney is already damaged. The most common causes of such damage are inflammation of the kidney or renal pelvis, and kidney stones, which can cause colic.
As a result, urinary retention can occur, which can be very painful, especially after long periods without urination. Other causes of pain could be a renal cyst or a tumor. In addition, overloading with foreign/toxic substances, such as medication, X-ray contrast media, painkillers or antibiotics, can also be the reason. In addition, pain from menstruation sometimes radiates to other regions and can be mistakenly interpreted as kidney pain.
Symptoms
Kidney pain is often difficult to assign to an exact location. Mostly one feels a one- or two-sided dull pulling or stabbing in the flanks. Since some nerves extend from the kidneys to the groin region, pain is often felt here as well.
These can also be perceived as pain in the abdomen that is difficult to classify. In the case of kidney pain, the presence of abnormalities, such as discoloration, blood or a strong foaming sensation, should be noted, especially in the morning urine. In addition, kidney diseases are accompanied by an increased urge to urinate and even urinary incontinence. In case of long-lasting pain, one should also pay attention to water retention.