Kidney Stone Pain and How to Treat It

That said, the pain does vary from person to person, Dr. Bechis says. If the stone does not cause a blockage as it moves through the urinary tract, a person may not experience any pain. Others may have pain in their back near the kidneys, which sit on either side of the spine below the rib cage, or in their lower abdomen or groin, he says.

Why Passing a Kidney Stone Can Be So Painful

A stone passing is so painful because the kidney itself is “exquisitely sensitive,” explains Dr. Lesser. When a stone blocks the flow of urine through the urinary tract, backed-up urine can put pressure on the kidney, resulting in pain.

“It is thought that the kidney itself does not have nerves with classical pain fibers,” says John C. Lieske, MD, a consultant in the division of nephrology and hypertension at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. But the tissue surrounding the kidney — called the capsule — does contain nerve fibers that transmit pain. Backed-up urine swells and expands the capsule, he says, which causes pain.

Stones can also be painful as they enter or are traveling down the ureter because the ureter spasms as it tries to push the stone along, says Dr. Lieske. (Ureters also contain nerves that register pain.)

What Kidney Stone Pain Feels Like — and Where You’ll Feel It

Not all kidney stone pain is the same. For example, the location of pain can change as the stone moves from the kidney to the bladder, says Lieske. When a stone is moving into the ureter, people may feel pain in their side or their back, he says.

Notably, if the stone gets stuck where the kidney connects to the ureter, the pain can be severe, says Ralph V. Clayman, MD, a urologist with UCI Health in Orange, California. On a scale of 1 to 10, “pain can be a 10,” he says. “There is no position in which the person is comfortable.”

This type of pain has a tendency to come and go in 10- to 30-minute cycles. It can also radiate to the groin area and the front of the thigh, he adds.

As the stone moves down the ureter, it can also mimic the pain of other conditions, says Dr. Clayman. For example, if the kidney stone is on the right side of the body, it may feel like appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix. If the stone is on the left side, people may mistake the pain for diverticulitis, inflammation, or an infection within the small or large intestine, he says.

And as the kidney stone migrates into the bladder, symptoms can be similar to a urinary tract infection, says Clayman. People may experience painful urination along with frequent urination and the urgent need to urinate, he says.

Fortunately, from this point, the stone can usually pass from the bladder out the urethra, which is typically twice the diameter of the ureter, says Clayman.

What Makes Some Kidney Stones More Painful Than Others

Larger stones are less likely to pass and more likely to block the urinary tract, so they are generally more painful, says Lesser. But the size of the stone is not necessarily proportional to the degree of pain. Because the ureter is so tiny, even a small stone may cause obstruction that creates an incredible amount of pain, Lesser notes.

How to Get Relief From Kidney Stone Pain

When pain does occur, it can be so severe that it sends you to the closest emergency room (ER) for immediate treatment. Often a single dose of pain medication given by an ER doctor is enough to relieve the pain for a prolonged period of time, allowing the stone to pass, says Lieske.

Tamsulosin (Flomax), a type of medication known as an alpha-blocker, is also widely used to help relax the muscles of the ureter, increasing the chance of passing the stone and helping reduce symptoms of pain, Bechis notes.

How long does kidney stone pain last? It depends on how long it takes to pass the stone.

“It can take days to weeks to pass a stone, depending on the size and location,” says Prakash N. Maniam, MD, a urologist affiliated with HCA Florida Physicians in Oviedo, Florida. Doctors can use imaging scans to see if the stone is moving, he adds, but “it is difficult to predict a time frame to passage.”

The Takeaway

• Kidney stone pain can be severe, especially when the stone blocks urine flow.
• You may feel pain in different spots and with different intensity as the stone makes its way through your urinary tract.
• A doctor may give you pain relievers, such as NSAIDs, acetaminophen, or opiods, or a medication to stop spasms in your ureters.
• Some stones may pass on their own over a period of time ranging from several days to weeks. However, larger or trapped stones may need medical intervention to be removed or broken down.