Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Kidney pain — also called renal pain — refers to pain from disease or injury to a kidney. You might feel kidney pain or discomfort as a dull, one-sided ache in your upper abdomen, side or back. But pain in these areas is often unrelated to your kidneys.

Your kidneys are situated in the back of your abdomen under your lower ribs, one on each side of your spine. People often are surprised at how high their kidneys are. Most conditions that cause kidney pain affect only one kidney. Fever and urinary symptoms often accompany kidney pain.

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March 22, 2022