The main symptom of kidney stones is pain in your back, abdomen, or side. Some other symptoms include cloudy urine, a burning sensation when you urinate, and nausea.
Kidney stones are one of the most common health conditions associated with the urinary system. Every year, there are
The stones are hard mineral fragments that can form in your kidneys. Often, they’re small enough to exit your body through your urine. But if they’re too large, you may need medical assistance to have them broken up or removed.
If you think you might have a kidney stone, you should seek medical attention right away. In particular, a fever with a kidney stone or a urinary tract infection (UTI) with a kidney stone are surgical emergencies.
Serious complications from kidney stones are rare if addressed early but can be severe if left untreated.
Read on to learn more about the symptoms of kidney stones.
If you have a very small kidney stone, you may not have any symptoms as the stone passes through your urinary tract. But if your kidney stone is larger, you’ll likely have some symptoms.
Outlined below are 8 signs and symptoms of kidney stones.
1. Pain in the back, belly, or side
Kidney stone pain — also known as renal colic — is one of the most severe types of pain imaginable. The pain is intense enough to account for more than half a million visits to emergency rooms each year.
Kidney stone pain often starts suddenly. As the stone moves, the pain changes location and intensity.
Pain often comes and goes in waves, which is made worse by the ureter contracting as it tries to push the stone out. Each wave may last for a few minutes, disappear, and then come back again.
You’ll typically feel the pain along your side and back, below your ribs. It may radiate to your belly and groin area as the stone moves down through your urinary tract.
Large stones can be more painful than small ones, but the severity of the pain doesn’t necessarily relate to the size of the stone. Even a little stone can be painful as it moves or causes a blockage.
2. Pain or burning during urination
Once the stone reaches the junction between your ureter and bladder, you’ll start to feel pain when you urinate. A doctor may refer to this as dysuria.
The pain can feel sharp or burning. If you don’t know you have a kidney stone, you might mistake it for a UTI. Sometimes you can have an infection along with the stone.
3. Urgent need to go
Needing to go to the bathroom more urgently or frequently than usual is another sign that the stone has moved into the lower part of your urinary tract.
You may find yourself running to the bathroom or needing to go constantly throughout the day and night.
4. Blood in the urine
Blood in the urine is a common symptom in people with kidney stones, also called hematuria.
The blood can be red, pink, or brown. Sometimes the blood cells are too small to see without a microscope (called microscopic hematuria), but a doctor can test your urine to see if it contains blood.
5. Cloudy or smelly urine
Healthy urine is clear and doesn’t have a strong odor. Cloudy or foul-smelling urine could be a sign of an infection in your kidneys or another part of your urinary tract.
One 2021 study found that
A UTI with a kidney stone is considered a surgical emergency — with or without a fever.
6. Going a small amount at a time
Large kidney stones sometimes get stuck in a ureter. This blockage can slow or stop the flow of urine.
If you have a blockage, you may only urinate a little bit each time you go. Urine flow that stops entirely is a medical emergency.
7. Nausea and vomiting
These symptoms happen because of shared nerve connections between the kidneys and the GI tract. Stones in the kidneys can trigger nerves in the GI tract, setting off an upset stomach.
Nausea and vomiting can also be your body’s way of responding to intense pain.
8. Fever and chills
Fever and chills are signs of an infection in your kidney or another part of your urinary tract. This can be a serious complication of a kidney stone. It can also be a sign of other serious problems besides kidney stones. Any fever with pain requires urgent medical attention.
Fevers that occur with an infection are usually high — 100.4˚F (38˚C) or more. Chills or shivering often occur along with the fever.
Although anyone can develop a kidney stone, there are some factors that can increase your risk. Some risk factors can’t be changed, while others can be controlled or modified.
You may be at a higher risk of developing kidney stones if:
- you’ve had kidney stones before
- somebody in your family has had kidney stones
- you don’t drink enough fluids
- your diet is high in protein, salt (sodium), or sugar
- you have overweight or obesity
- you have diabetes
- you have gout
- you take calcium-based antacids or diureretics (water pills)
- you have a condition that causes high levels of cystine, uric acid, calcium, or oxalate in your urine
You should speak with a doctor if you have any symptoms of kidney stones. Get medical help right away if you have the following symptoms, which could indicate that you have an infection or other serious complication:
- pain so severe that you can’t get comfortable
- nausea, vomiting, fever, or chills with the pain
- blood in your urine
- trouble urinating
Kidney stones are hard collections of salt and minerals that form in your kidneys and can travel to other parts of your urinary system.
Stones cause symptoms like pain, trouble urinating, cloudy or smelly urine, nausea, and vomiting.
Some stones will pass on their own. Others need treatment with sound waves or surgery to break them up or remove them.
You should speak with a doctor if you have any symptoms of kidney stones. The earlier you get treatment, the less likely you’ll have complications from kidney stones.