Kidney pain almost always indicates an underlying issue that requires medical evaluation and treatment; it should not be assumed to "mean nothing". While some minor causes like dehydration might be temporary, persistent pain warrants a visit to a healthcare provider to prevent potential complications.
Call your health care provider right away if you feel constant, dull, one-sided pain in your back or side. Ask for a same-day appointment if you also: Have fever, body aches and fatigue. Had a recent urinary tract infection.
Key facts. Kidney pain is usually felt in your back or side and may spread to your groin. It can be caused by kidney stones, kidney infection or other kidney or urinary tract problems. The cause of kidney pain can be diagnosed with blood tests, urine tests and an x-ray, ultrasound or CT scan.
Kidney pain is usually higher up in the back (under the ribs), feels deeper, is constant, and often comes with fever, nausea, or urinary changes, while muscular back pain is typically lower, worsens with movement (bending, twisting), and improves with rest, but if you have severe symptoms like fever, vomiting, or blood in urine with back pain, see a doctor immediately as it could be kidney-related.
Pain in the back
Kidney disease can cause pain in this part of the upper back. Although this is true, pain in this area often comes from the muscles of the back, or from the spine. Pain from the kidneys is often constant, or can be sharp, like being stabbed.
To relieve pregnancy kidney pain, prioritize hydration, use pregnancy-safe pain relievers like acetaminophen as directed by your doctor, apply a heating pad, get rest, and wear loose clothing, but always consult your doctor first for severe pain, fever, or vomiting, as it could signal a kidney infection or stones needing specific treatment like antibiotics or procedures.
Depending on the root cause of your kidney pain, you may experience sharp kidney pain that comes and goes or a dull pain that never goes away.
Dull or sharp pain in the low back (often confused for kidney pain) is more likely due to a muscle pull, spinal issue, such as sciatica, or an injury. Kidney pain is usually felt higher up in the back and very rarely that low.
Muscle pain is usually sharp, localized, and worsens with movement, often feeling like a cramp or spasm, while organ pain (visceral pain) is a deeper, duller ache that's hard to pinpoint and might come with other symptoms like fever, nausea, or digestive issues, and doesn't always change with movement. Key indicators for organ pain include one-sided deep pain (kidney/intestine), pain with urination (kidney), or fever/chills, while muscle pain often has tender spots and improves with rest.
The main test for kidney disease is a blood test. The test measures the levels of a waste product called creatinine in your blood. A doctor uses your blood test results, plus your age, size, and gender to calculate how many millilitres of waste your kidneys should be able to filter in a minute.
What should I do if my kidneys hurt?
So, unless something like sudden bleeding within a tumor quickly stretches out the kidney capsule, there is no such thing as true kidney cancer pain. However, if a kidney tumor spreads to other organs such as the bone, it can sometimes cause bone pain.
Nephritis occurs when parts of your kidney become inflamed (swollen). This swelling prevents the kidney from working properly to filter waste from the blood. Nephritis can be caused by infection, autoimmune or inflammatory conditions such as lupus, genetic disorders, or other conditions.
If you suddenly experience severe kidney pain, with or without blood in your urine, you should seek emergency medical care. Sudden, severe pain can often be a sign of a blood clot or haemorrhage, and you should be evaluated immediately.
You feel kidney pain near the middle of your back, just under your ribcage, on each side of your spine where your kidneys are. Your kidneys are part of the urinary tract, the organs that make and remove urine from the body. (pee). You may feel kidney pain on one or both sides of your back.
And as kidney disease progresses, you may notice the following symptoms. Nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, swelling via feet and ankles, dry, itchy skin, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, urinating either too much or too little.
Kidney pain is often felt on either the left or right flank (side), under the rib cage, in the middle part of the back. Type of pain: Kidney pain comes from a deeper place than the muscles. This means it usually doesn't get worse with lifting, twisting, or bending like muscle pain does.
Back pain red flags signal potentially serious issues like infection, fracture, tumor, or severe nerve damage, requiring urgent medical attention and including symptoms such as fever, chills, unexplained weight loss, severe night pain, loss of bowel/bladder control, saddle anesthesia, or pain after trauma, especially in older adults or those with cancer history, IV drug use, or immunosuppression. These flags point to conditions like spinal infection, fracture, cauda equina syndrome, or cancer, necessitating prompt investigation.
The "Big 3" for lower back pain, developed by spine biomechanics expert Dr. Stuart McGill, are core-stabilizing exercises: the Curl-Up, Side Plank (Side Bridge), and Bird-Dog, designed to build core strength and endurance without excessive spinal stress, helping reduce pain and improve function. They focus on creating a stable "spine bridge" by engaging abdominals, obliques, and back muscles to protect the spine during movement.
Symptoms of a kidney infection can include:
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms when passing a kidney stone: Severe pain, vomiting, fever and/or chills. Visible blood in the urine. Difficulty urinating.
Sharp back or abdominal pain.
Pregnant women should also be aware that urine buildup stretching and swelling the kidneys—a condition known as hydronephrosis—is also more likely in later stages of pregnancy as the baby is producing its own urine.
Kidney pain can come from many sources, including kidney stones or cysts, infection, trauma, cancer, dehydration, bleeding or blood clots in the kidney veins. Kidney stones cause sharp, intense pain that worsens as the stone(s) migrate from the kidney to the ureters (tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder).
Kidney function tests are urine (pee) and/or blood tests that evaluate how well your kidneys work. Your kidneys support your overall health by getting rid of waste and balancing body fluids and electrolytes. Most kidney function tests measure how well your glomeruli (glo-MARE-yoo-lye) work.
Kidney stones form in the kidneys. Symptoms may start as stones move into the ureters. The ureters are thin tubes that let urine pass from the kidneys to the bladder. Symptoms of kidney stones can include serious pain, upset stomach, vomiting, fever, chills and blood in the urine.