Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Some health problems that affect a kidney can cause pain. You might feel kidney pain as a dull ache just below the ribs along your side or back. But pain in these areas often has other causes that aren't related to the kidneys.

The kidneys are a pair of small organs located toward the back of your body, just under the lower ribs. One kidney sits on each side of the spine. Kidney pain — also called renal pain — most often affects only one side of the body. Fever and urinary symptoms often happen along with kidney pain.

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June 30, 2026