Between 1% and 5% of the population in developed countries has suffered from renal colic, which is known to be one of the worst pains a person can experience, often compared to the pain of childbirth. However, as you know, each person has a different pain threshold, and the symptoms it produces are not the same for everyone, which is why it is not always equally painful. (1)
What is renal colic?
Renal colic, or kidney colic, is a very acute pain that appears when lithiasis (kidney stone) breaks or detaches and gets trapped in the urinary ducts, causing a blockage of urine from the kidney to the bladder and urethra. (2)
The pain caused by renal colic usually appears in the lower back and sometimes radiates to the groin or abdomen. It is characterized by a squeezing and relaxing pain, meaning it is not constant but varies in intensity. Additionally, in some cases, it may be accompanied by small fever spikes, nausea, vomiting, and blood in the urine.
What should I do if I think I have renal colic?
If you have any of the symptoms described above, the first thing you should do is see your primary doctor or, if the pain is very intense, go to a hospital emergency room or medical center. There, they will perform a more thorough examination to confirm the diagnosis and apply initial control measures.
Generally, the first thing to do is to avoid or reduce the pain it causes, so analgesics (some or others depending on each patient) are applied. Subsequently, an imaging study is performed to determine the size and shape of the stone so that the doctor can assess the difficulty of its extraction. If the stone is larger than 5mm, an extraction technique usually requiring surgery is applied; if it is smaller, we usually expel it ourselves.
How can I reduce the pain it causes?
Most of these episodes involve stones that we can expel ourselves, so we can follow these recommendations (1):
- Take painkillers: remember to consult your doctor about which ones you should take.
- Drink plenty of water: this facilitates the passage of the stone and therefore its expulsion.
- Apply heat to the lower back: using electric heating pads, hot water bottles, or hot baths can help relieve the pain.
How can I prevent it from recurring?
Stay hydrated: remember to drink a minimum of 2-3L of fluid daily (preferably water).
Exercise: maintaining an active lifestyle and a healthy weight helps reduce stone formation.
Maintain a balanced diet appropriate to your condition. Check our dietary recommendations! Remember that this diet can be supplemented with Lit-Control products.
Maintain urine pH at recommended levels; this helps prevent the formation of kidney stones.
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