Kidney Stones

Kidney stones cause sudden, severe lower back pain as they try to move through the tubes in your urinary tract or when they get stuck inside the kidney. When the pain strikes, connect with Cynthia Moorman, MD, and the team at Urology Consultants of Maryland to get expert care. They offer treatments that eliminate the stones while easing your symptoms. Don’t wait to call the Frederick, Maryland, office or request an appointment online if you have symptoms of kidney stones.

Why do I have kidney stones?

Kidney stones are hard clumps of minerals and other substances that develop in your kidneys. Your urine contains many wastes, including minerals, that normally stay dissolved in the urine.  

But when certain substances in your urine are too concentrated, they crystallize and turn into a kidney stone. Eighty percent of kidney stones contain calcium. Other substances found in these stones include phosphorus, uric acid, oxalate, cystine, and struvite (a substance caused by frequent urinary tract infections).

What symptoms will kidney stones cause?

Small stones are safely carried away by your urine. Symptoms begin when a stone gets trapped inside the kidney or a stone that leaves your kidney is too large to easily pass through the ureter (the tube carrying urine from the kidneys to your bladder).

Kidney stones cause one or more of the following symptoms:

• Sudden, severe pain on one side of your lower back
• Pain radiating to your abdomen
• Intense pain that comes and goes in cycles
• Blood in your urine
• Cloudy urine
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fever and chills
• Urinary frequency
• Burning or pain when urinating
• Urinating in small amounts

Kidney stones are known for causing excruciating pain as they move through the ureter. A stone stuck inside the kidney can block the opening to the ureter, preventing urine from leaving the kidney.

What treatment might I need for kidney stones?

When your symptoms suggest you have a kidney stone, your Urology Consultants of Maryland provider runs blood tests and performs diagnostic imaging to determine the stone’s size and location.

If imaging shows a small stone that can safely go through your urinary tract, your provider recommends drinking a lot of fluids and prescribes medications to relax the ureter muscles and ease your pain.

Your provider may recommend shockwave lithotripsy (SWL). This is a noninvasive technique using high-energy sound waves to break the stone into small pieces, allowing it to pass through your urinary tract.

If you can’t have SWL or the stone is too large, your provider may perform other minimally invasive procedures, such as ureteroscopy or percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

When you need help with kidney stones, you can depend on the skilled team at Urology Consultants of Maryland. Call the office or connect online to get prompt kidney stone treatment.