TherapyWhat to do?
The therapy of kidney pain initially aims to reduce the pain. Then the respective underlying disease is treated cause-oriented. Numerous homeopathic remedies are advertised for the treatment of kidney pain.
These include goldenrod (Solidago), sour thorn (Berberis vulgaris), sarsaparilla, siambenzoic acid (Acidum benzoicum) and cactus scale insect (Coccus cacti). They are said to relieve pain, have anti-inflammatory effects and are effective against kidney stones. Kidney pain in general can be reduced or completely eliminated by numerous painkillers.
Preparations such as paracetamol or Novalgin® are used. For severe pain, a dosage of 500 mg paracetamol 3 times daily or Novalgin® 500 mg 3 times daily can be chosen. It is important to note that research into the cause must also be carried out if the pain returns after the painkiller has been discontinued.
To relieve kidney pain it is important to drink a lot. This will “flush” the kidneys sufficiently. Heat applications are also often helpful for kidney pain.
To do this, place a cherry stone cushion or a hot-water bottle on the painful area. If the cause is a kidney stone that has grown in one of the kidneys and causes pain there, make sure that you drink enough and increase to 2-3 liters if necessary. You should also make sure that you exercise regularly.
Usually the kidney pain disappears as soon as the kidney stone has detached and is excreted in the urine. Fluid intake and exercise are therefore one of the most important treatment measures for kidney pain caused by kidney stones. If the stone does not come off in this way, a stone fragmentation can be considered.
If the cause of the kidney pain is a urinary tract infection or an inflammation of the renal pelvis, antibiotic treatment must be given promptly to prevent complications in the kidney area. In most cases, so-called broad-spectrum antibiotics are used, which should be taken regularly for up to 10 days. Once the effect has set in, the complaints in the kidney area usually disappear.
Urinary retention can also lead to moderate to very severe symptoms in the kidney area. It is caused by an obstruction in one or more parts of the urinary tract. Examples of this are obstructions caused by a ureteral stone or a tumor.
A kidney congestion can also occur during pregnancy, which is caused by the fact that the child has grown so large in the womb that it presses on one of the mother’s ureters, preventing urine from passing from the kidney into the bladder. The prompt drainage is absolutely necessary so that the kidney pains soon subside. Apart from the conventional not vegetable medicines, which can be used with kidney pain, there are also numerous alternative methods, in order to treat kidney pain generally.
Also here the investigation of the cause is important. Urinary tract infections that lead to kidney pain can be treated very well with nettle and cranberry preparations. Kidney and bladder tea can also quickly relieve the symptoms.
Juniper is also said to have a kidney-protecting and healing effect. Dandelion leaves have also been described time and again as having a beneficial effect on pain in the kidney area. It is also important to adjust the amount of drinking accordingly.
Between 2 and 3 liters should be drunk in case of an acute urinary tract infection.To prevent another urinary tract infection, the same amount of water should be drunk. Pain in the area of the kidneys and the back can often be treated very well by applying heat. Either a hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel can be placed on the painful area or a towel warmed in the oven can take over this task.
The use of heat lamps, such as those used in the treatment of colds and sinusitis, can also provide quick relief if the radiation is administered regularly. Warming baths, which should not be too hot, can also lead to prompt relief of pain in the back area. It is important that the back is relieved and that no additional heavy loads are carried.
When lying down, you can try to relieve the back with the so-called step positioning. In doing so, the lower legs are placed on several cushions and thus achieve the appearance of stairs. Besides the warming measures, numerous ointments and gels can be applied to the painful area of the kidney.
Thus Kytta ointment, horse balm and the like are used as a supplement or exclusively. The skin over the aching kidneys can also be drizzled with warm massage oil. The warming factor is one of the most important treatment approaches in the treatment of kidney pain.
It is important to note that the heat supply should be stopped immediately if the pain in the area of the kidneys gets worse. In this case, orthodox medical treatment and a precise search for the cause of the pain must be initiated. If kidney pain occurs on the right or left side of the spinal column during pregnancy, the search for the cause should be even more intensive than it would be with non-pregnant women.
In the majority of cases, the indicated complaints during pregnancy are not kidney pain but back pain caused by the unusual orthopedic strain on the body. Thus the child pulls the back of the standing mother forward. The back musculature is loaded thus extremely strongly, since the nut/mother must always hold against the weight.
If it nevertheless becomes clear that the kidneys of the pregnant woman are the cause of the pain, it is essential to check whether a kidney congestion has occurred. This congestion is relatively common in pregnant women, since the growing child is so large in the womb that it can move parts of the ureters and thus endanger the drainage of urine. The result is congestion in one or both kidneys.
The most important treatment is to relieve the pressure on the ureters to allow the flow of urine to be restored. As a home remedy for kidney pain in pregnant women, warming measures such as a heat pad or hot water bottle can be used, or the back area can be irradiated with a red light. Warming and cooling ointments or gels can also be applied to the skin above the kidney region.
Frequently, rubbing alcohol, Kytta ointment or horse balm are used. Massage oil warmed up beforehand can also be applied to the skin area. For general pain treatment, arnica ointment can also be applied to the kidney area.
Arnica in globule form can also be administered to support this. As these are homeopathic medicines, they are also safe to use during pregnancy. It is also important to relieve the strain on the back because the heavy strain on the muscles around the spine can lead to additional pain.
For this reason, pregnant women should lie down on their sides more often to provide appropriate relief. The application of hay flower cushions is also very useful. Here, hay flowers can be placed in a fabric bag or empty pillowcase and then warmed.
The warmed pillow should then be placed on the painful areas. The heating of the hay flowers has produced oils which can then be transferred through the bag to the skin of the person concerned and thus lead to the relief of the pain. A regular application should be aimed at at the beginning of the treatment.
It is important to note that all warming treatment measures should be discontinued as soon as the symptoms worsen. Medical advice should then be sought, as a comprehensive diagnosis should be made. In order to prevent the development of kidney pain in the context of an inflammation of the renal pelvis, one should avoid cold and draughts in the area of the bladder and the kidneys.
Pain in the kidneys caused by stones can be prevented by drinking a lot and eating little salt and protein.After a kidney trauma without directly visible injuries, a check of the kidneys should still be performed every 6 months for a period of at least 5 years – even if there is no kidney pain. Kidney cancer can, if necessary, be positively influenced by avoiding the risk factors mentioned. There is no prophylaxis for changes such as stenosis or urinary reflux.
The prognosis for the course of kidney pain depends on the underlying disease. Uncomplicated inflammation of the renal pelvis usually heals without damage under antibiotic therapy. In 75% of cases, stones as the cause of kidney pain disappear spontaneously without medical intervention.
However, a recurrence occurs in 50 to 100% of patients. If renal trauma is the cause of kidney pain, removal of the kidney (nephrectomy) is necessary in 15% of cases. The prognosis of kidney cancer depends on the stage of the tumor.
If there are no metastases (daughter tumors), the 5-year survival rate is 65%. However, if the tumor has already metastasized, the prognosis worsens. Stenotic changes can usually be cured by surgery; the prognosis is good.
In the case of congenital urinary reflux, regression is possible up to the age of 10 years without medical intervention. After a renal infarction, 5-year functionality is 70 to 85%, evident from normal blood pressure, as this is influenced by the kidneys. This means that in 70 to 85% of patients with a renal infarction, blood pressure normalizes after 5 years, which is a sign of adequate kidney function.
Kidney pain is flank pain, pain sensations localized in the lateral abdominal region. Their cause is usually to be found in pathological changes in the kidneys or the urinary tract. These include inflammation of the renal pelvis (pyelonephritis), kidneys or ureteral stones (nephrolithiasis, ureterolithiasis), renal trauma, kidney cancer, narrowing of the outflow paths (stenosis) with subsequent urinary congestion, urinary reflux or renal infarction due to obstruction of the renal vessels.
However, kidney pain can also occur independently of the kidneys and urinary tract, for example due to muscular changes, herniated discs of BWS or shingles (herpes zoster). The diagnostic criteria for the cause of kidney pain are, in addition to the patient’s medical history and physical examination, the determination of certain laboratory parameters (kidney values, inflammation values), the examination of the urine, ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder (sonography) and other imaging procedures (computer tomography, excretory urography, cystoscopy, ureteroscopy). Depending on the underlying disease, treatment is either conservative or surgical: inflammation of the renal pelvis is usually treated with antibiotics, stones are shattered if spontaneous discharge is absent, and trauma, cancer, stenosis and reflux are usually treated surgically.
A renal infarction is treated by vascular dilatation or is also operated on. The prognosis for the further course of renal pain depends on the disease causing it.
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