Anyone who has ever had kidney stones is quite familiar with the intense pain that comes along with them. These people will quickly know what is going on should they ever experience the symptoms again. For those who are fortunate enough to have never experienced them, there are several kidney stone symptoms and warning signs that can alert you to a possible problem. Here are a few of them.

Risk Groups

Although anyone can experience kidney stone symptoms, men are more prone to this condition than women. Just like many other medical conditions, family history also plays a major role in who develops kidney stones. If you fall into one of these categories, you can prevent the condition with a number of different measures. The two most important are drinking plenty of water and urinating soon after you feel the urge.

Kidney Stone Symptoms

There are a number of kidney stone symptoms that you should be aware of. Obviously, pain is an indicator that a problem exists. Kidney stone pain can show up in a couple of different ways. It may reveal itself as as a constant, dull pain that is similar to that of a toothache. In other cases, it's a sharp, stabbing pain that comes and goes. Sometimes the pain is so severe that the individual will double over or drop to their knees. This pain will usually show up in the area of the side or lower back. In addition to the pain, some patients will complain of a tense feeling in the area of the kidneys because of the blockage. This blockage may also cause you to experience a sensation of something leaking or squirting inside you.

Another kidney stone symptom is traces of blood in your urine. You may be able to actually see blood in the urine, or it may show as a discoloration of the urine itself.

You may also begin to feel feverish and run down. This will accompany a feeling of disorientation and a general lack of energy. Many times this can be confused with the early symptoms of the flu.

If you experience one or more of these symptoms for more than a few days, you should schedule a visit to your doctor. They can run a number of different tests to provide you with an accurate diagnosis. They can also run tests to find out what the actual cause of the condition is. The important thing is to not let these symptoms go untreated. In many cases, the pain will be so severe that you will drop whatever you are doing and seek immediate treatment. If severe pain is not an issue, leaving the condition untreated can still lead to more serious problems later on.