Do Kidney Stones Always Hurt

… Continued …

1. Smaller stones that stay in the kidneys are usually painless and asymptomatic. You may start noticing pain and other symptoms once they move around within the kidney or travel into the ureter, a tube that lines to the bladder from the kidney.
2. The pain usually will get worse when the stones are large enough to cause a blockage in the urinary tract, blocking the flow of urine from the kidneys.
3. The stone size matters. The larger it is, the more symptoms (more painful) you would experience. Also, larger stones are likely to cause irritation and infection, provoking more pain.

Furthermore, again the pain may fluctuate. It may change in frequency, duration, or intensity as the stones move or travel down your urinary tract.

If they can go to your bladder, you may pass them out of your body in urine. The good news, they can pass without causing damage or serious after effects. But they usually pass ‘not’ without causing pain, including for small ones.

Pain relievers can help a lot to deal with, especially for small stones. They are often prescribed to help pass small stones a bit painless. Also, drink more water (2-3 quarts a day) to flush the stones out of your body. If necessary, your doctor may suggest extra therapy – for example prescribing certain medications to help relax your ureter’s muscles so the stones are likely to pass out of the body with less pain and more quickly.

But for large ones, more intensive treatments are usually necessary especially for some that lead to lasting symptoms or serious complications. Even surgery is probably suggested in more severe cases.