# Can Your Kidneys Hurt? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 11, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362 "2012-09-11T00:37:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/1 "2012-09-11T00:37:13Z")
Or does my back just happen to be hurting all day right where my kidneys are? I have been drinking a _lot_ of water lately- maybe I am overworking them. Or maybe my back just hurts. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/2 "2012-09-11T00:38:06Z")
Your kidneys definitely can hurt. But you could also have kidney-shaped foreign objects lodged in your body around the kidney area, and that could hurt too. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/3 "2012-09-11T00:38:44Z")
Yes. When I occasionally get reflux it hurts. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/4 "2012-09-11T00:50:14Z")
Yup. I’ve had my kidneys aching bad. They weren’t functioning very well at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/5 "2012-09-11T00:55:34Z")
Ah, okay. If it continues into tomorrow, I guess I will have to investigate. And I will take it easy at work- “oh, my aching kidneys.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/6 "2012-09-11T00:55:39Z")
Yes but muscle pain can also mimic kidney pain. I recently went to an urgent care clinic _utterly convinced_ that I had a kidney stone or some other serious kidney problem and it turned out to be nothing more than a badly pulled muscle. Get to a doctor asap. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/7 "2012-09-11T00:57:21Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Yes but muscle pain can also mimic kidney pain. I recently went to an urgent care clinic _utterly convinced_ that I had a kidney stone or some other serious kidney problem and it turned out to be nothing more than a badly pulled muscle. Get to a doctor asap. Spoken like someone who has insurance. But, yes, I will consult someone if it continues. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/8 "2012-09-11T01:02:31Z")
I’ve had kidney infections twice in my life and they both started out with kidney pain. Both times I also developed a high fever within about 12 hours of the pain starting. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/9 "2012-09-11T01:07:53Z")
If your kidneys hurt, the pain tends to be sharp and severe, intense and comes in waves. Doesn’t matter if you’re moving or still, lying or sitting or standing, the pain doesn’t change much. The pain tends to be on either side of the spine and above the hips If your back hurts, the pain tends to be duller and aching, constant and worsens with movement. The pain is more in the back of your back, if that makes any sense, and often crosses the spine. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/10 "2012-09-11T01:14:33Z")
I’m a hypochondriac and would occasionally wake up in the morning with a dull pain where the kidneys are. After I bought a new mattress the pain stopped, but when I sleep on the old mattress the pain comes back. It was just back pain. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/11 "2012-09-11T01:19:14Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I’m a hypochondriac and would occasionally wake up in the morning with a dull pain where the kidneys are. > > After I bought a new mattress the pain stopped, but when I sleep on the old mattress the pain comes back. It was just back pain. …And your hypochondria is relevant here _how_? ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/12 "2012-09-11T01:59:04Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Yes but muscle pain can also mimic kidney pain. I recently went to an urgent care clinic _utterly convinced_ that I had a kidney stone or some other serious kidney problem and it turned out to be nothing more than a badly pulled muscle. Get to a doctor asap. One of the relatively rare times I’ve seen a thread where the OP really didn’t agree with the advice, but yielded to the collective wisdom of the 'Dope, if I remember correctly. Kudos to you. **Alice The Goon** - hope it’s nothing. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/13 "2012-09-11T02:12:15Z")
I’ve had kidney stones and back pain in that area that mimic it. Maximum dosages of anti-inflammatories will work on back pain for me but not on kidney stones. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/14 "2012-09-11T02:45:04Z")
Well, oddly enough, few minutes ago the pain (more achy than sharp) abruptly stopped. I hadn’t taken anything, so hmpf. Oh well, thanks for the answers. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/15 "2012-09-11T03:10:52Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Well, oddly enough, few minutes ago the pain (more achy than sharp) abruptly stopped. I hadn’t taken anything, so hmpf. Oh well, thanks for the answers. And in an astounding coincidence, I have an extra knife available.. 🙂 -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/16 "2012-09-11T03:15:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > …And your hypochondria is relevant here _how_? He thought ‘kidney pain’ where it was just back pain. Glad yours has stopped; keep an eye on your…output, so to speak. If something’s weird kidney-wise, you’ll probably notice something there. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/17 "2012-09-11T03:59:41Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > …And your hypochondria is relevant here _how_? So I could justify myself to strangers on the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/18 "2012-09-11T04:03:28Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Well, oddly enough, few minutes ago the pain (more achy than sharp) abruptly stopped. I hadn’t taken anything, so hmpf. Oh well, thanks for the answers. Sounds like you passed a stone. Done it a time or two myself. Dull achy pain, coming in waves, worse and worse, then, Bing! Gone. Funny that I’ve always known that bing means it’s gone, not just another lull between waves. Great feeling. Until the next time. Once I actually went to an ER and they gave me narcotics. That was a great feeling too. Then a caught the stone in a little strainer. Hard little bugger about the size of a lentil. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/19 "2012-09-11T04:20:06Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > If your kidneys hurt, the pain tends to be sharp and severe, intense and comes in waves. Doesn’t matter if you’re moving or still, lying or sitting or standing, the pain doesn’t change much. The pain tends to be on either side of the spine and above the hips Not in my experience. I have had continuous sharp pain… And I know it’s reflux-related kidney pain because relieving the pressure eased it off. Had continuous dull aching caused by nephritis too. Never had any urological pain that came in waves, and I have had a fair bit of pain in that region. I know someone who had a urinary diversion, and she claimed that wind (as in intestinal gas) caused kidney pain due to the type of diversion she had. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362/20 "2012-09-11T06:08:27Z")
> [@Szlater](#): > > Yes. When I occasionally get reflux it hurts. What do you mean by this? Reflux? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-your-kidneys-hurt/634362.md?page=2)