Renal colic is the excruciating pain caused by a kidney stone traveling through the urinary tract. The pain is constant and often radiates down the side of the abdomen and into the back and pelvis. Over-the-counter pain relievers have little effect, and medical attention may be necessary. Treatment options include prescription pain medication, ultrasound stone crushing, or surgery.
When sufferers refer to the excruciating pain of a kidney stone attack, they are actually referring to a condition known as renal colic. When a kidney stone begins to form in the kidney, a process known as nephrolithiasis, the hardened calcium stone usually settles in the soft tissue of the kidney. At some point, however, the stone may become detached and begin traveling along the sufferer’s urinary tract to the bladder and urethra. This sudden movement and the blockages it causes along the way create excruciatingly sharp pain that often radiates down the side of the abdomen and into the back and pelvis area.
Many sources suggest that the term colic in renal colic is misleading, since colic suggests a type of pain that appears intermittently or ebbs and flows in waves. The pain generated by the condition is often described as fairly constant, although the level of pain can become much more intense if pressure builds up behind a blockage or if the sufferer assumes certain positions. Unlike other types of abdominal pain, a patient suffering from this type of colic will often move around constantly in an attempt to find a comfortable position.
The onset of renal colic can be deceptively minor, starting as a dull or indistinct ache in the lower back or flank. This pain often escalates until the sufferer realizes that over-the-counter pain relievers have little or no effect and the pain becomes impossible to ignore. By now, it is very likely that at least one kidney stone has been removed from the kidney and is blocking the regular flow of urine through the ureters. This pressure becomes referred pain in the lower back and kidney.
As the pain of renal colic increases with no relief, many sufferers seek emergency medical attention. The pain is often described as knife-like, which could be confused with other abdominal conditions such as appendicitis. A doctor who suspects renal colic will order several tests, including a urine test for blood and possibly an ultrasound or X-ray to determine the presence of a kidney stone. The excruciating pain associated with the condition can be treated with an injection of a prescription pain medication such as Demerol.
After a few hours, some renal colic sufferers may experience significant relief as the kidney stone progresses in the bladder and passes through the urethra. If the sufferer is still under medical supervision, the urine can be filtered through a mesh screen to check for the passage of a kidney stone. If the stone becomes stuck in the patient’s urinary tract, however, further treatment such as ultrasound stone crushing or surgery may become necessary.
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