Acupuncture Kidney Pain

When patients request acupuncture treatment for kidney pain, a number of related pathologies are considered in order to offer safe, timely and effective treatment.

Kidney pain should first be distinguished from back pain or rib pain or pain arising from the spine. It is also important to establish that trauma was not recently inflicted to the kidney or to the back of the body.

As you’ll see below, your sex, whether you are male or female, is also important with kidney pain. Your age can also help to identify the cause.

The most common presentations of kidney pain in my acupuncture clinic are:

- Upper Urinary Tract Infection or Acute Pyelonephritis (mainly in females).

- Kidney Stones or Urinary Calculi or Renal Calculus (mainly in males). In western developed societies, Kidney Stone or Stones (Urinary Calculi or Renal Calculus) is also commonly seen in clinic. 70% of patients affected are male, and the age prevalence is between 30 to 40 years old. Read more about kidney pain due to kidney stones here.

- Because untreated or unresolved Bladder infection, also called Cystitis or lower urinary tract infection or UTI, can migrate to the Upper urinary tract causing kidney pain, you’ll see I have also included a separate link for more information about that. Children to the elderly can all be affected by UTI.

These presentations can all cause kidney pain. You’ll see I’ve also included some ideas to help you improve your health if you suffer from kidney pain.

For more acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine ideas on how you can get natural relief from pain, click on this link to go to Pain Relief.

Kidney pain can be a visceral pain or it can be caused by disorders of the urinary tract.

In general, kidney pain can be reported as back pain, flank pain, and can radiate towards the umbilicus (belly button). But some patients also reveal pain that radiates lower down to the groin area.

So careful evaluation of signs and symptoms will help to determine the most probable diagnosis. Various medical tests may have to be performed before an accurate diagnosis can be made.

More specifically, kidney pain is a visceral pain that is usually produced by distention of the renal capsule. The pain is typically dull, aching and steady. It occurs in acute pyelonephritis, which is Upper Urinary Tract Infection. Females have a much higher incidence than males.

Pyelonephritis is inflammation of the kidney, where two types of different manifestations can occur: acute and chronic.

But dramatically different is a type of pain that is severe, colicky, and that can also encompass the back, the flank, the abdomen, upper thigh and radiates to the testicle or labium in women. This is more likely to be related to the ureter, hence it may be diagnosed as ureteral pain, hence the reason why pain extends to the lower abdominal and groin areas.

Furthermore, renal or ureteral colic is caused by sudden obstruction of a ureter, such as obstruction caused by urinary stones or blood clots.

If you suffer from bladder or urinary tract infections, kidney pain or kidney stones and you'd like to start a course of treatment for your ailment, please telephone our clinic on 9796 2388 or email us through this contact-us form