Kidney Infections Cause Back Pain

There are so many sources of back pain that a person often needs to see their health care provider to determine which cause they are suffering with. Before doing this the best thing to do is write down your symptoms and then you will know what to tell your doctor when you have your appointment. Most often you will have not much to say except for a simple description of the type of pain, throbbing, stabbing or dull, and the place it hurts. If that is all you need to tell them then your back pain is likely due to nothing more than back strain.

But sometimes there are other symptoms associated with the back pain that you need to mention. It is these other symptoms that may be a cause for concern. You might be having back pain because of a kidney infection. This type of condition, which begins in your bladder before it moves into your kidneys, can be dangerous if your health care provider does not see you quickly to begin treating the symptoms properly. You can suffer permanent harm to your kidneys or if the infection spreads into your bloodstream it can become a life-threatening situation. How will you know if this back pain is related to your kidneys?

The place you would have pain in your back from a kidney infection would be above the hips on either side of the spine. Your back will feel tender. If someone were to push on this area, even gently, with his or her hand it will definitely hurt. Although the pain is actually in the kidney itself it will feel like it is lower back pain. If the infection is treated quickly as it heals so will the pain in your back. This would also be true when it came to passing a kidney stone. Once the problem inside begins to heal so does the place that the pain seems to radiate from. When trying to determine whether the back pain is related to a kidney problem you need to see if you have the signs of a kidney infection. These include fever, pain or a burning feeling when urinating, chills, blood in the urine, excessive urinating or an inability to urinate. Treatment should begin with an antibiotic to clear the infection. This is the best that can be done and within a couple of days the symptoms will lessen, the back pain will begin to go away and the kidneys will be on their way to healing.

The kidneys and back are related in one more form of pain. If someone were to have an injury to the lower back it could actually damage the kidneys at the same time. That is where the term kidney punch came from. It refers to being hit in the lower back during a fight. A person must learn to protect their back from a variety of illnesses and injuries while taking care of their kidneys at the same time.

About the Author:
Mike Serovey is the owner and webmaster for http://www.mikeserovey.net where you can submit your articles for free.