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Customer question:

I feel pain in my back and kidney area. How can I isolate the pain to know where the problem is? Anonymous customer.

Pharmacist's answer:

Kidney problems can occur in the hips, back, abdomen, or groin area. Pain is often confused with back pain, but there are some critical differences between kidney pain and how it feels compared to the pain that originates in the back.

Pains originating from the back usually affect the middle of the back, the area across the spine, and most often, the lower back, the low back. Problems related to the spine can also cause back pain, sometimes radiating down to the legs.

Kidney pain is usually higher up in the back and often felt deeper. Symptoms of painful kidneys usually appear under the ribs, to the right or left of the spine. Kidney pain can also spread to other body parts, such as the abdomen or groin. Sometimes hip pain is confused with kidney pain, but hip pain is lower in the back than kidney pain.

People with kidney pain can experience a variety of symptoms.

Some of the most common symptoms of painful kidneys include

• constant, dull pain in the back
• pain in the hips, under the chest, or in the abdomen
• severe or sharp pain that comes in waves
• pain spreading to the groin area
• nausea or vomiting, especially if the pain is due to kidney stones

The following tools are available to help your doctor diagnose kidney problems:

• Urinalysis: This test checks for blood, white blood cells (which could indicate infection), proteins, and other molecules associated with various kidney diseases.

• Imaging tests: Ultrasound or CT (computed tomography) can provide images of the physical structure of the kidneys and urinary tract. They can also tell your doctor if stones are present and can tell if your urine flow is adequate.

Interesting reading: Home remedy for kidneys

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