Renal colic is a pain, usually severe, that starts in one side in the back (the lumbar area, between the lower ribs and hip) and radiates along the same side anterior to the flank, to the inguinal region, and scrotum in men (vaginal lip in women).

The intensity of the pain is typically fluctuating like in waves. Usually, there is no analgesic position you can find.

Quite often is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. You can feel a constant need to urinate or difficulty urinating sometimes.

Renal colic occurs when a stone has stuck in the ureter. The ureter is a small tube connecting the kidney to the bladder. In this tube, typically, the urine flows to the bladder after its production in the kidney. If a stone blocks the urine flow in the ureter, the kidney will contract and increase its pressure to push it out. The contractions of the kidneys and the increased urine pressure are painful.

Other less common associated symptoms

Renal colic is just one of the symptoms that urinary stones can cause. Other symptoms that commonly occur alongside renal colic include:

• blood in the urine, which may make it appear pink, red, or brown
• urine that smells unusual
• small particles in the urine
• cloudy urine
• painful urination
• frequent urination

When to see a doctor

The seek for pain relief is a good reason to see a doctor, even if we can treat most uncomplicated renal colic with standard painkillers. Other red flags are fever, complete inability to urinate and uncontrollable vomiting. In all these cases, we need urgent medical advice at ER.