Right-sided kidney pain

The kidneys are present twice in almost every person and are located on the left and right side of the spine in the rear upper part of the abdominal cavity. The right as well as the left kidney are mostly protected from outside influences by the costal arch and by a thick fat capsule. The right kidney is about 2-3 cm lower than the left kidney, because the right kidney is pushed by the liver a little bit towards the pelvis.

In the immediate vicinity of the right kidney are the stomach, the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine), the liver and the pancreas. Immediate neighbors of the left kidney are the stomach, the large intestine, the spleen and the elongated end of the pancreas. The two adrenal glands, which are completely different from the kidneys in their function, are located directly on the kidney.

The adrenal glands produce a variety of hormones, of which adrenaline and cortisol are the most important. The kidney itself has the task of cleansing the blood of metabolic waste products and excess fluid and salts. If waste products accumulate in the body, they are released into the blood and then broken down either in the kidney in the liver or in both organs.

The kidney functions like a filter through which all the blood is forced. In this way, the unwanted substances are filtered out while the rest of the blood flows back into the body. The fluid that is pressed out is called primary urine.

About 180 liters of this urine are produced in the body every day. In order to prevent this enormous amount of urine from being excreted and the human body from drying out within a very short time, the primary urine is extremely concentrated in the kidneys and its composition is changed until finally only 1.5-2 liters of fluid remain, which is then excreted throughout the day. The final urine then passes from the kidney via the so-called ureter into the bladder in the pelvis and from there out of the body via the urethra.

In addition to its filtering and detoxifying function, the kidney is also significantly involved in regulating our blood pressure, stimulating the production of red blood cells and controlling the salt balance. The causes of kidney pain on the right or left side can be as varied as the tasks of the kidney. In principle, each of the two kidneys can be affected individually or both simultaneously.

Anyone of any age can suddenly get kidney pain on the right or left side, but women are somewhat more likely to have kidney problems than men. The kidney itself is not always the cause of pain in the kidney area. It is always important to distinguish kidney pain from back pain, which is admittedly not easy, and it is not unusual for kidney pain to radiate into the back.

If, however, the kidney is the cause of the pain, the most frequent causes of pain are inflammation of the renal pelvis (=pyelonephritis), inflammation of the kidney (=glomerulonephritis) or renal colic caused by kidney stones. Other less frequent causes of pain in the kidneys can be fluid-filled cavities (=cysts), malformations in children, overloading due to medication or tumors. Most of these causes can only affect one kidney while the other remains completely healthy.

Women also often report pain in the kidney area during their menstruation. A right-sided inflammation of the renal pelvis (=pyelonephritis) describes an inflammation of the so-called right renal pelvis. In this part of the kidney, the urine that is squeezed and processed collects before it can flow through the ureter to the bladder.

This type of inflammation is similar to an inflammation of the bladder caused by germs that rise through the ureter and urethra into the body and cause an inflammation there. Triggers are usually bacteria, rarely fungi. In most cases an inflammation of the renal pelvis is preceded by an inflammation of the bladder before the germs spread further in the direction of the kidneys.

Since the kidney is an organ with a very good blood supply, germs can easily enter the bloodstream once they have reached the right kidney and cause blood poisoning (=sepsis), which must be treated in hospital, since it can be life-threatening in extreme cases. In order to prevent this, it is always necessary to take an antibiotic to effectively kill the germs in the case of an inflammation of the renal pelvis. Also the kidney itself can become inflamed, in medicine one speaks then of a Nephritis.

An inflammation of the kidney often occurs after an inflammation of the renal pelvis, but it is also often the result of other harmless diseases.In children, for example, a simple infection of the respiratory tract can be the result of the immune system‘s antibodies becoming entangled in the filter structures of the kidney, where they cause inflammation. Many drugs can also cause inflammation of the kidneys as a side effect. In right-sided renal colic (=nephrolithiasis), bacteria are not the cause of the pain in the affected kidney.

Similar to gallstones, urinary stones form from the urine squeezed out of the kidney, which then block the outflow channels. Various substances in the urine, such as uric acid, can precipitate in the urine and form stones if they are present in excessive quantities. The ureter, which consists of muscles, then tries to transport these stones towards the bladder by undulating muscle movements.

If these stones appear in the kidney, they are called kidney stones and if they move along the ureter, they are called urinary stones. A cyst describes a fluid-filled cavity. In the case of a kidney cyst, it is located in the kidney tissue.

The cysts are usually hereditary, but symptoms usually do not occur until adulthood. It is not uncommon for a cyst to be found only by chance in an ultrasound examination. In a renal infarction of the right renal artery, a blood vessel of the kidney is blocked by a blood clot, as in a heart attack, and can no longer be supplied with blood.

Due to the lack of oxygen, which is normally transported away by the red blood cells (= erythrocytes), most of the unsupplied cells behind the occlusion due to the lack of oxygen die within a very short time. Here, too, sudden severe pain on the right side of the kidney is the sign. General symptoms: Pain in the kidney area usually does not occur all day and is rather dull and oppressive than stabbing.

It is also important to correctly assign accompanying symptoms such as headaches, nausea or vomiting. If the pain on the right side occurs after an accident or violent impact, it is essential that the kidney is examined by a doctor for possible injuries. If the right kidney is affected by an inflammation of the renal pelvis, the inflammation manifests itself in strong dull and pressing pain in the lateral right flank.

In addition, there is fatigue, problems urinating and fever. As fever is a sign that germs have entered the bloodstream and can easily affect the whole body, a doctor should be consulted as soon as nausea or vomiting occurs, but at the latest when fever occurs. The usually accompanying inflammation of the bladder leads to an increased urge to urinate and pain when passing water.

A clear sign of this is visible blood in the urine, which then turns reddish. During the examination the doctor will tap the back and in the area of the right kidney the so-called typical “knocking pain” occurs when tapping the right kidney region in the case of an inflammation of the renal pelvis. In renal colic of the right kidney the body tries to transport the stone via the ureter towards the bladder and further out of the body.

This is done by undulating muscle movements of the ureter, which consists of muscles, at short intervals. This wave-like contraction causes recurring, severe pain in the right kidney region or below, when the stone is already moving forward towards the bladder. The pain can radiate into the lower abdomen or genitals and the cause can be mistakenly assumed here.

Urination is usually unaffected if only one side is affected. If the urinary calculus is not treated and the urine is blocked in the drain, infections in the urinary tract can easily develop underneath the calculus if the actual cleansing urine flow is missing, which washes ascending bacteria outwards. Kidney pain on the right side, which can be accompanied by nausea, is caused by kidney stones blocking the right kidney or the ureter on the right side.

This clinical picture is called renal colic and is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The most typical symptom of renal colic of the right urinary tract is cramp-like flank or kidney pain on the right side, which occurs in relapses and radiates into the back, lower abdomen or groin or genital region, depending on the position of the stone. A renal colic can be confirmed by an ultrasound examination.

Treatment is with painkillers and antispasmodic drugs.Most kidney stones come off spontaneously after 48 hours. If this does not happen (or if the stone is too large), the kidney stone can be removed through various surgical procedures. Kidney pain on the right and nausea can also occur in acute pyelonephritis, an acute inflammation of the renal pelvis.

In the case of inflammation of the renal pelvis, high fever, even with chills, occurs in addition to the kidney pain on the affected side. Nausea, nausea and pain while urinating are also possible. Inflammation of the renal pelvis is treated with antibiotics, which are selected according to the bacterial spectrum determined by a urine analysis.

A cystitis is caused by bacteria or other pathogens that infect the urinary tract. A cystitis has the following symptoms: Difficulty urinating with pain, frequent urge to urinate and thus increased frequency of urination with reduced urine volume. Sometimes patients complain of pain in the lower abdomen or suffer from urinary retention or (especially older patients) new incontinence.

A cystitis is treated with antibiotics for one to a few days. Kidney pain is not a symptom of a simple cystitis. However, a complication of cystitis can be inflammation of the renal pelvis (pyelonephritis), which presents with kidney pain on the right side when the pathogens causing the cystitis ascend the draining urinary tract and finally infect the right kidney.

Although the inflammation of the renal pelvis can develop from a “simple” cystitis, it is much more serious and therefore has to be treated with antibiotics for a longer period of time. The success of the therapy should be checked by a new urine test a few days after completion of the treatment. 50% of patients who present themselves to the doctor with visible blood in their urine suffer from a tumor disease.

Blood in the urine plus kidney pain on the right side may indicate a renal tumor. Other possibilities are bladder cancer or cancer of the right ureter or a pelvic tumor that is located near the right ureter and grows into it. The kidney pain is then the result of urine backflow into the right kidney.

Other, non-malignant causes of kidney pain and blood in the urine are, for example, kidney stones, which can injure the mucous membrane of the urinary tract and thus lead to bleeding. If a blood clot gets stuck in one of the right renal arteries or its lower branches, the lack of oxygen causes a renal infarction, which leads to blood in the urine and kidney pain. Diseases of the kidney tissue (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus, IgA nephropathy, glomerulonephritis) are also causes of kidney pain and blood in the urine.

Fever, pain when urinating, kidney pain on the right side and blood in the urine are indications of an inflammation of the renal pelvis on the right side. Kidney pain on the right side is usually not clearly localizable and those affected often feel the pain emanating from the kidney in the abdomen as abdominal pain or in the back as back pain. The pain is also perceived in the abdominal cavity because the ureter runs directly behind the abdomen and pain that is there is perceived as abdominal pain.

Also, nerve tracts around the kidney run laterally in the abdominal wall to the groin. Kidney pain can therefore also be perceived as abdominal pain or groin pain for this reason. Pain in the lower abdomen with pain when urinating and frequent urge to urinate point to a bladder infection which spreads to the right kidney.

Sudden onset of kidney pain on the right with abdominal pain, nausea and nausea are typical of renal colic. A renal colic is caused by a kidney stone blocking the kidney or the ureter. The pain of renal colic is crampy and occurs in relapses.

Very often they radiate into the groin or genital region. Kidney pain on the right side and abdominal pain can also be an indication of an inflammation of the renal pelvis, which presents itself atypically (i.e. without the classic symptoms). Other causes of kidney pain and abdominal pain are hantavirus infections and various diseases of the tubule system of the kidney.

However, these usually occur on both sides and are not the cause of kidney pain on one side only. It is often difficult to distinguish pain in the right kidney from back pain, as the spine and surrounding muscles are in close proximity.An important distinguishing feature from back pain is the dependence of pain on movement, back pain usually changes with movement, kidney pain usually remains the same in intensity with movement and only changes due to other circumstances such as heat or cold. Indications of kidney problems are also changes in urination.

Almost all changes in the urge to urinate are unusual and require clarification. Both very frequent but also very rare urination, unusually much or little urine, but also color and odor changes or even foaming urine should be clarified urgently. Pain when urinating is also unpleasant and should always be clarified by a urine examination by a doctor.

The urge to urinate depends on the filling level of the bladder, and since the bladder is also irritated in most diseases, the urge to urinate changes and one has to go to the toilet unusually often with unusually small or large amounts of urine. Kidney pain on the right side and urge to urinate can be caused by an inflammation of the renal pelvis. Inflammation of the renal pelvis also occurs with fever, possibly chills, nausea, vomiting and pain when urinating.

Another cause can be a tumor or stones in the bladder, which can cause a strong urge to urinate and cause urine to back up into the kidneys, leading to kidney pain on the right side. If the right-sided kidney pain only occurs at night or in the morning after getting up, it could be due to a flow disorder of the urine, which only occurs when lying down. At night the outflow is disturbed by the body position while sleeping, the urine accumulates and causes pain in the right kidney.

This outflow disorder can be assessed with the help of various procedures and is usually treatable. Normally, kidney pain is not changeable by the position of the body. However, in the case of renal colic, for example, the pain may be more unbearable when lying down because movement creates distraction.

Kidney pain is often confused with back pain. If pain in the kidney region occurs mainly when lying down, a problem in the spine is a probable cause. A doctor can assess by a short physical examination whether the pain is more likely to be caused by the kidney or the spine.

Home remedies/natural remedies/homeopathy: From the department of natural remedies, many herbal substances are suitable to support kidney pain. Sour thorn, nettles, parsley, or even the homeopathic Berberis or eucalyptus can alleviate inflammation in the kidney area. As far as nutrition is concerned, one should pay attention to a low-salt, low-sugar, low-protein and low-fat diet to keep the body’s acid-base balance as balanced as possible.

Heat or cold cushions are suitable as household remedies. The pillow that brings relief should be used. For most causes, heat pads in the form of hot-water bottles or cherry pit pillows are particularly suitable, which can be placed carefully on the kidney area in the back or on the side of the stomach.

Oils, gels or ointments such as Kytta-Salbe® can also be applied to provide additional relief. In the case of kidney colic, verbena, broom broom, woodruff, celery, hawthorn or even dandelion from the naturopathy are suitable for alleviating the symptoms. Homeopathic remedies such as acidum benozoicum, Acidum oxalicum, Berberis vulgaris are also suitable.

General therapy: Inflammation of the renal pelvis is treated with an antibiotic to prevent permanent inflammation, chronic inflammation of the renal pelvis, and the spread of the bacteria through the bloodstream. If fungal infections are the cause, a so-called antimycotic is used. The severe pain caused by renal colic can be well treated with painkillers or drugs that relax the cramped ureter.

Buscopan®, the best-known representative, has a relaxing effect on the muscles and can thus relieve the painful cramps. In many cases, the kidney stones find their way out of the body through the forward transport in the ureter. This process can be accelerated by drinking a lot of fluid, as the kidney is literally “flushed” and the stone is washed out with the fluid flow from the kidney and ureter.

Various drugs can also dissolve urinary stones and can be tried for treatment. If it is not possible to remove the stone by all these methods, it can be broken down into smaller components by ultrasound therapy, which are then removed with the urine. Only very rarely do kidney stones have to be removed surgically.Since urinary stones are dependent on the substances that form them, their formation can be largely prevented by a suitable diet.

Since the often responsible oxalate occurs in large quantities in spinach, wood sorrel, meat products, or chard, one should avoid these foods if possible. Lemon juice is also recommended as a preventive measure, as it contains acid to prevent the formation of urinary stones. A tumor in the right kidney is usually treated by surgery and subsequent radiotherapy.

A cyst is usually not a reason for surgery or therapy. Often it must be checked by ultrasound examination and otherwise no further treatment is required. A kidney injured by violence is usually observed in hospital for several days, and only in extreme cases and with severe injuries does the kidney have to be removed surgically.