Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsVascular EmergencyMuscle Strain or SpasmSpine ConditionsUrinary System ConditionsShinglesFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Vascular Emergency
Muscle Strain or Spasm
Spine Conditions
Urinary System Conditions
Shingles
Frequently Asked Questions
This article will discuss the symptoms of flank pain and the possible causes, diagnosis, and treatment of these conditions.
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Symptoms
An aortic dissection occurs when the body’s major artery, theaorta, is damaged. When the wall of the aorta tears, blood flows into the layers of the blood vessel walls. This can lead to an aortic rupture or a lack of blood to the organs.
Symptoms of an aortic dissection may include:
Causes
Diagnosis
An aortic dissection and aneurysm are medical emergencies and require immediate evaluation and treatment. Your healthcare provider will start with a physical exam and listen to your heart with a stethoscope.
Diagnostic tests may include:
Treatment
An aortic dissection requires immediate treatment with either surgery or medications, depending on where the tear is. An aortic aneurysm is also treated with surgery or medications.
Muscle strainscan develop over time from repetitive movements. This causes micro-tearing of the muscle fibers. Sudden movements that strain your muscles can also lead to immediate symptoms of muscle strain.
Symptoms can include:
With severe muscle injury, you might also have swelling or bruising in the affected area.
Muscle strains often improve with rest from aggravating activities and home remedies. These can include:
Medications can also help relieve symptoms, such as:
Conditions that affect the spine can also cause flank pain. These can includelumbar arthritis,spinal stenosis, anddisc degeneration. In some cases, these conditions can compress nerves in the lumbar spine that supply your legs.
In addition to flank pain, other symptoms of spine conditions can include:
Lumbar disc degeneration often causes symptoms around the age of 40 and is particularly common in people who have jobs that require repetitive movements, such as office workers, machine operators, and carpenters.
Treatments
Home remedies and OTC medications are used to help relieve symptoms of spine conditions. Sometimes, steroid anti-inflammatory medications are injected into the affected area.
When conservative treatment is not effective, surgery may be recommended to treat spine conditions.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Flank pain is often a symptom of conditions that affect the urinary system, including kidney stones and infections.
Flank pain is a primary symptom of kidney stones and urinary infections.
Other symptoms can include:
Kidney stones are hard deposits that can develop in the kidneys. These stones can leave the kidney and travel through theureterto your bladder, and out of your body. Flank pain often occurs when a kidney stone enters the ureter. This pain is sudden and severe.
Flank pain frominfectioncan develop more gradually.
When a urinary tract infection spreads to the kidneys, the infection is more serious and is known aspyelonephritis. This condition can rapidly lead tosepsis. Possible symptoms include flank pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
Blood and urine tests are used to help diagnose urinary issues. If you havekidney stones, blood tests can help determine the specific minerals that make up your stones. Urine tests assess levels of white blood cells, which can indicate if an infection is present.
Your healthcare provider may also recommend an ultrasound if kidney stones are suspected. Imaging such as X-rays and CT scans are also used to diagnose kidney stones.
Urinary infections are typically treated with antibiotic medications. Treatment of kidney stones depends on the size of the stone. Small stones often pass on their own without any additional treatment.
Larger kidney stones can require additional treatment. Interventions include:
Shingles (Herpes Zoster) is a viral condition that can cause flank pain.
The primary symptom of shingles is a painful, itchy rash on one side of the torso or face.
Other symptoms of shingles include:
Diagnosis and Treatment
There is no cure for shingles, but symptoms can resolve on their own without treatment. Sometimes, antiviral medications are used to help reduce the severity of symptoms.
How Shingles Is Treated
Summary
Flank pain can be a symptom of conditions that affect your muscles, lumbar spine, or internal organs. Common causes of flank pain include muscle strain, lumbar spine arthritis, and kidney stones. These conditions are diagnosed through a physical exam, lab tests, and imaging.
Treatment for flank pain depends on the underlying cause. Sometimes flank pain can resolve with rest and home remedies, while other causes might require surgery.
A Word From Verywell
Flank pain is a symptom that can indicate a wide variety of medical conditions. If you know what caused your flank pain, such as a muscle strain after lifting a heavy object, it might be appropriate to treat your symptoms at home.
However, some causes of flank pain are more serious and require medical treatment. When in doubt, see a healthcare provider (sooner than later) to determine the cause of your flank pain.
You may have kidney stones if you suddenly develop severe flank pain. Other symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, and blood in your urine.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Flank pain.MedlinePlus.Aortic dissection.MedlinePlus.Aortic aneurysm.MedlinePlus.Strains.Kato K, Otoshi K ichi, Yabuki S, et al.Abdominal oblique muscle injury at its junction with the thoracolumbar fascia in a high school baseball player presenting with unilateral low back pain.Fukushima J Med Sci. 2021;67(1):49-52. doi:10.5387%2Ffms.2020-27Liyew WA.Clinical presentations of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbosacral nerve lesions.Int J Rheumatol. 2020;2020:2919625. doi:10.1155%2F2020%2F2919625Harvard Health Publishing.Back pain: what you can expect from steroid injections.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of kidney stones.Bueschen AJ. Flank pain. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, eds.Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd ed. Butterworths; 1990.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for kidney stones.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Flank pain.MedlinePlus.Aortic dissection.MedlinePlus.Aortic aneurysm.MedlinePlus.Strains.Kato K, Otoshi K ichi, Yabuki S, et al.Abdominal oblique muscle injury at its junction with the thoracolumbar fascia in a high school baseball player presenting with unilateral low back pain.Fukushima J Med Sci. 2021;67(1):49-52. doi:10.5387%2Ffms.2020-27Liyew WA.Clinical presentations of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbosacral nerve lesions.Int J Rheumatol. 2020;2020:2919625. doi:10.1155%2F2020%2F2919625Harvard Health Publishing.Back pain: what you can expect from steroid injections.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of kidney stones.Bueschen AJ. Flank pain. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, eds.Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd ed. Butterworths; 1990.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for kidney stones.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Flank pain.MedlinePlus.Aortic dissection.MedlinePlus.Aortic aneurysm.MedlinePlus.Strains.Kato K, Otoshi K ichi, Yabuki S, et al.Abdominal oblique muscle injury at its junction with the thoracolumbar fascia in a high school baseball player presenting with unilateral low back pain.Fukushima J Med Sci. 2021;67(1):49-52. doi:10.5387%2Ffms.2020-27Liyew WA.Clinical presentations of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbosacral nerve lesions.Int J Rheumatol. 2020;2020:2919625. doi:10.1155%2F2020%2F2919625Harvard Health Publishing.Back pain: what you can expect from steroid injections.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of kidney stones.Bueschen AJ. Flank pain. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, eds.Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd ed. Butterworths; 1990.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for kidney stones.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.
MedlinePlus.Flank pain.
MedlinePlus.Aortic dissection.
MedlinePlus.Aortic aneurysm.
MedlinePlus.Strains.
Kato K, Otoshi K ichi, Yabuki S, et al.Abdominal oblique muscle injury at its junction with the thoracolumbar fascia in a high school baseball player presenting with unilateral low back pain.Fukushima J Med Sci. 2021;67(1):49-52. doi:10.5387%2Ffms.2020-27
Liyew WA.Clinical presentations of lumbar disc degeneration and lumbosacral nerve lesions.Int J Rheumatol. 2020;2020:2919625. doi:10.1155%2F2020%2F2919625
Harvard Health Publishing.Back pain: what you can expect from steroid injections.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of kidney stones.
Bueschen AJ. Flank pain. In: Walker HK, Hall WD, Hurst JW, eds.Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations. 3rd ed. Butterworths; 1990.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for kidney stones.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.
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