Kidney Stone - You'll never wish to feel this pain!

Have you ever got severe sharp pain over your flanks? Such severe pain that you have to stop doing anything that you are doing and just rush to a hospital?

So yes, we are talking about the pain of kidney stone!

It is such a pain that can never be forgotten and one would never wish to have a second episode of pain ever in the life.

The kidney stones are basically crystals of the elements that are excreted into urine. For example calcium crystallizes in acidic environment so if the pH of the urine drops that will crystallize calcium and other similar elements into bigger and bigger forms and that what we call is as stones. Normally, when these stones becomes bigger than 3 to 4 mm in size they will be causing spasmodic contractions of the ureters, which are the tubes through which the urine passes. Constrictions of the ureter causes the classical pain of the kidney stones that we refer to as renal collic.

Sometimes such a stone may also form within the kidneys and those sizes of the kidney stones are far more bigger than those that occurs in the ureters, because ureters are basically narrow tubes where as kidneys have a bigger space for crystallizations of these stones.

However, it is important to note that the kidney stones, that is a stones that occurs within the kidneys, have far more lesser pains as compared to the stones that occurs in the ureters because the ureters have significant spasm that occurs because of the stones.

So it is very important to know the location of the stone. That will decide what intensity of pain and what frequencies of pain will occur and followed by that the further management that is required for correction of the stone.

Usually urinary stone might start causing pain beyond 3 to 4 mm of size that is those stones bigger than 4 mm will significantly cause episodes of collic. Also it is very important to note that the smaller stones that is those stones between the range of 3 to 4 mm till 7 to 8 mm can be managed conservatively, that means with medications and fluid therapy but those stones that are bigger than 8 mm may require instrumentation, i.e intervention. Stones that are more than 10 mm will definitely require intervention in form of removal of stone surgically.

Many of the patients are scared or sceptical about going for surgery for renal stones but let me tell you, it is very important to go for a surgery if at all the size of the stone is bigger and if it is obstructing the outflow of urine from the associated kidney. The kidney stone may be bigger in size and may get diagnosed late because of the absence of pain. If the ureteric stone is bigger than a certain limit, it will also require instrumentation in form of removal, because if that stone blocks urine, it will create back pressure changes and those back pressure changes will cause damage to the associated kidney.

First of all will be going to the causes of Stones. Now the only cause that helps the formation of the renal stones is the consistency or the the content of the urine that is passed. Now that means the pH of the urine that is the level of the acidity and alkalinity of the urine. The content of the urine that means that whether it contains high amounts of calcium, oxalates phosphorus or higher amounts of uric acid that depends on the content of the urine. It also depends on the hydration state of the patients. So those patients having lesser amounts of fluids in their day to day life have higher tendency of getting renal stone because their urine will be more concentrated and that escalate the chances of crystallizations of calcium, uric acid or even phosphorus.

Also it is very important to note that the tendency to have renal stone is also familial. That means if your parents, grandparents or blood relatives have tendency of getting renal stones, then you might also get the stones. so you have to be always careful if you have family history of kidney stones.

One more important thing, kidney stones have specific seasons that causes higher incidences of the formation and these seasons are post summers. That means the seasons where we have higher temperatures you have lesser consumption of fluids or you have concentrated urine in those season, you will be having tendency of formation of stone. And also because of some reason if your hydration status has declined for a few months, even that creates higher tendency for formation of renal stones.

Also certain type of medications and drugs also causes higher tendency of formation of stones because they excrete higher amounts of electrolytes in your urine and some medications makes your urine more acidic, also some type of infections also makes the urine more acidic and it makes a nidus for the formation of stones. The formation of stones and infections go hand in hand, that means if you have a renal stone you have a higher tendency of urine infection, also if you have urine infection you have higher tendency of renal stone.

If you ever feel sharp severe pain on either side of your flanks. Never ignore that pain. After you have stabilized your pain, always go for ultrasound to check whether there is a presence of stone or not and if that is a stone, what is the size of the stone and what is the position or location of the stone. If that stone is bigger than a certain limit or if that stone is located at a specific location you might need intervention. Medicines or fluid therapy is not always the treatment for renal stones and let me tell you intervention towards renal stone can surely protect your kidneys from the devastating complications that it creates in form of renal damages.