Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsStagesWhat It’s Made OfWhat It Feels LikeAt-Home CareWhen to Seek CareMedical TreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Stages
What It’s Made Of
What It Feels Like
At-Home Care
When to Seek Care
Medical Treatment
Prevention
There are four stages of passing a kidney stone: The stone forms, leaves the kidney, reaches the bladder and causes pressure, and finally, exits the body. They’re common, with about 10% of people in the United States having a kidney stone at some point in their life.
Symptoms of a kidney stone differ based on the stage, and many people will not have symptoms at all until the stone moves into the ureter (a tube that connects the kidneys and bladder).Akidney stonemay pass on its own but this can be very painful. There are also times when you may need to seek medical care for help passing kidney stones, also known asrenal calculiornephrolithiasis.
Stages of Passing a Kidney Stone
The development and natural passing of kidney stones can be broken down into four stages:
How Long Does It Take to Pass a Kidney Stone?How long it takes to pass a kidney stonedepends on how big it is. A stone less than 4 millimeters (mm) can pass in a week or two. Larger stones can take up to four to six weeks to pass.
How Long Does It Take to Pass a Kidney Stone?
How long it takes to pass a kidney stonedepends on how big it is. A stone less than 4 millimeters (mm) can pass in a week or two. Larger stones can take up to four to six weeks to pass.
What Makes a Kidney Stone?
Yourkidneysremove fluid and waste from your body. If you have too much salt, minerals, or chemicals in your body and not enough urine, the extra material can form crystals in your kidneys.
Other particles may attach to the crystals and form a hard object (a “stone”) that your body may try to pass.
What Do Kidney Stones Look Like When They Pass?Kidney stones are pebble-like objects that vary in size. They can be as small as a grain of sand to as large as a ping-pong ball. Kidney stones can be smooth or have jagged sharp edges, and are usually yellow or brown.
What Do Kidney Stones Look Like When They Pass?
Kidney stones are pebble-like objects that vary in size. They can be as small as a grain of sand to as large as a ping-pong ball. Kidney stones can be smooth or have jagged sharp edges, and are usually yellow or brown.
What Does Passing a Kidney Stone Feel Like?
Most people associate the pain of passing a kidney stone with stage 4, or when it actually exits the body. But pain is most associated with stage 2 (when it leaves the kidney).
If the stone is small enough, it can go through all of the stages without you even realizing it. In other cases, the pain of passing a kidney stone can be severe. Some rank it as being worse than giving birth.
You may experience the following symptoms of larger kidney stones:
When kidney stones move in your body, they can cause intense pain that almost feels like someone is jabbing you with a knife.
Can Kidney Stones Cause Diarrhea?
What Helps Kidney Stones at Home
If you have a kidney stone, you might be able to pass it on your own. There are a few things you can do to help the process along:
To help ease discomfort as you wait for a stone to fully pass:
You may have some discomfort after you’ve passed the stone. If these at-home remedies do not help, call your provider.
Drinking Water to Force a Kidney Stone to PassYou can’t reliably force a kidney stone to pass, but drinking plenty of water is the best way to encourage one to move through your system. You also can avoid salty, processed foods, and foods or beverages that contain fructose. Drinks associated with kidney stone formation include:Sugar-sweetened sodasApple juiceBlack and green tea, which can contain oxalates (lightly steep them if you use them)Alcoholic beverages
Drinking Water to Force a Kidney Stone to Pass
You can’t reliably force a kidney stone to pass, but drinking plenty of water is the best way to encourage one to move through your system. You also can avoid salty, processed foods, and foods or beverages that contain fructose. Drinks associated with kidney stone formation include:Sugar-sweetened sodasApple juiceBlack and green tea, which can contain oxalates (lightly steep them if you use them)Alcoholic beverages
You can’t reliably force a kidney stone to pass, but drinking plenty of water is the best way to encourage one to move through your system. You also can avoid salty, processed foods, and foods or beverages that contain fructose. Drinks associated with kidney stone formation include:
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
If you have extreme pain, a fever, or are vomiting while passing a kidney stone, seek medical care right away. Kidney stones can lead to infections that need to be treated. If you’re not sure what to do, call your provider. They may have you go to urgent care or the emergency room.
If you can strain your urine and take a piece of stone that has passed, do so. A healthcare provider can examine the type of stone to understand a potential cause including:
It’s important to see a healthcare provider for your symptoms. Having a kidney stone means you are at greater risk of chronic kidney disease. You also have a 50% chance of having another stone in the next few years.
Treatment
A healthcare provider might prescribeFlomax (tamsulosin)to help pass a large kidney stone.However, research is not clear on whether the medication is always helpful for this purpose.
Surgical removal, when needed, can include:
After the stone is taken out, it will go to a lab to see what it was made of. This can help you figure out if there are any steps you can take to reduce your chances of getting more kidney stones.
You can’t always prevent kidney stones. For example, if you already havekidney disease, you may not be able to avoid them.
You might also need to be on certain medications that can lead to the formation of kidney stones, includingdiuretics(which increase calcium excretion in the urine) and antacids (which can have stone-forming minerals in them).
But whether these apply to you or not, it’s always worth taking steps to try to prevent kidney stones from occurring, including:
Maintaining a healthy weight is important. However, people who have bariatric surgery for weight loss also have an increased risk of developing kidney stones.
Can Cranberry Juice Help Prevent Kidney Stones?Research suggests that whethercranberry juiceand cranberry extract supplements could help prevent kidney stones depends on the type of kidney stones you get. Some studies have shown that calcium oxalate may increase with intake.
Can Cranberry Juice Help Prevent Kidney Stones?
Research suggests that whethercranberry juiceand cranberry extract supplements could help prevent kidney stones depends on the type of kidney stones you get. Some studies have shown that calcium oxalate may increase with intake.
Summary
There are four stages of passing a kidney stone: formation, moving into the ureter, reaching the bladder, and exiting the body in urine. Kidney stones can be very painful, but once the stone passes you should feel much better.
While you might be able to pass a kidney stone on your own at home, if you’re in extreme pain and have a fever, you should seek medical care. If you can’t pass a kidney stone on your own, you might need to have it broken up or taken out surgically.
17 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.National Kidney Foundation.Kidney stones.Noh TI, Pyun JH, Shim JS,et al.A comparison between asymptomatic and symptomatic ureteral stones.Sci Rep.2023;13:2757. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29866-5Urology of Greater Atlanta.Stages of passing a kidney stone.Urology Care Foundation.What are kidney stones?.Khan SR, Pearle MS, Robertson WG, et al.Kidney stones.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16008. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.8National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Disease.Definition and facts for kidney stones.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Symptoms & causes of kidney stones.UMPC.How to treat kidney stones at home.Mount Sinai.Kidney stones - self-care.Urology Specialists of the Carolinas.How to pass kidney stones naturally.Courbebaisse M, Travers S, Bouderlique E, Michon-Colin A, Daudon M, De Mul A,et al.Hydration for Adult Patients with Nephrolithiasis: Specificities and Current Recommendations.Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4885. doi:10.3390/nu15234885Zawaideh JP, Simonato A, Barbero S, Bertolotto M, Cardone G, Vota P,et al.Gas-containing renal stones: a red flag for renal infection.Acta Radiol. 2022 Nov;63(11):1563-1569. doi:10.1177/02841851211052990Leonardo Ferreira Fontenelle, Thiago Dias Sarti.Kidney stones: treatment and prevention.American Family Physician. 2019;99(8):490-496.Slattengren AH, Prasad S, Jarrett JB. PURLs:Kidney stones? It’s time to rethink those meds.J Fam Pract. 2016;65(2):118-120.National Kidney Foundation.6 easy ways to prevent kidney stones.Ormanji MS, Rodrigues FG, Heilberg IP.Dietary Recommendations for Bariatric Patients to Prevent Kidney Stone Formation.Nutrients. 2020 May 16;12(5):1442. doi:10.3390/nu12051442Gamage KN, Jamnadass E, Sulaiman SK, Pietropaolo A, Aboumarzouk O, Somani BK.The role of fluid intake in the prevention of kidney stone disease: A systematic review over the last two decades.Turk J Urol. 2020;46(Supp. 1):S92-S103. doi:10.5152/tud.2020.20155
17 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.National Kidney Foundation.Kidney stones.Noh TI, Pyun JH, Shim JS,et al.A comparison between asymptomatic and symptomatic ureteral stones.Sci Rep.2023;13:2757. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29866-5Urology of Greater Atlanta.Stages of passing a kidney stone.Urology Care Foundation.What are kidney stones?.Khan SR, Pearle MS, Robertson WG, et al.Kidney stones.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16008. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.8National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Disease.Definition and facts for kidney stones.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Symptoms & causes of kidney stones.UMPC.How to treat kidney stones at home.Mount Sinai.Kidney stones - self-care.Urology Specialists of the Carolinas.How to pass kidney stones naturally.Courbebaisse M, Travers S, Bouderlique E, Michon-Colin A, Daudon M, De Mul A,et al.Hydration for Adult Patients with Nephrolithiasis: Specificities and Current Recommendations.Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4885. doi:10.3390/nu15234885Zawaideh JP, Simonato A, Barbero S, Bertolotto M, Cardone G, Vota P,et al.Gas-containing renal stones: a red flag for renal infection.Acta Radiol. 2022 Nov;63(11):1563-1569. doi:10.1177/02841851211052990Leonardo Ferreira Fontenelle, Thiago Dias Sarti.Kidney stones: treatment and prevention.American Family Physician. 2019;99(8):490-496.Slattengren AH, Prasad S, Jarrett JB. PURLs:Kidney stones? It’s time to rethink those meds.J Fam Pract. 2016;65(2):118-120.National Kidney Foundation.6 easy ways to prevent kidney stones.Ormanji MS, Rodrigues FG, Heilberg IP.Dietary Recommendations for Bariatric Patients to Prevent Kidney Stone Formation.Nutrients. 2020 May 16;12(5):1442. doi:10.3390/nu12051442Gamage KN, Jamnadass E, Sulaiman SK, Pietropaolo A, Aboumarzouk O, Somani BK.The role of fluid intake in the prevention of kidney stone disease: A systematic review over the last two decades.Turk J Urol. 2020;46(Supp. 1):S92-S103. doi:10.5152/tud.2020.20155
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.
National Kidney Foundation.Kidney stones.Noh TI, Pyun JH, Shim JS,et al.A comparison between asymptomatic and symptomatic ureteral stones.Sci Rep.2023;13:2757. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29866-5Urology of Greater Atlanta.Stages of passing a kidney stone.Urology Care Foundation.What are kidney stones?.Khan SR, Pearle MS, Robertson WG, et al.Kidney stones.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16008. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.8National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Disease.Definition and facts for kidney stones.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Symptoms & causes of kidney stones.UMPC.How to treat kidney stones at home.Mount Sinai.Kidney stones - self-care.Urology Specialists of the Carolinas.How to pass kidney stones naturally.Courbebaisse M, Travers S, Bouderlique E, Michon-Colin A, Daudon M, De Mul A,et al.Hydration for Adult Patients with Nephrolithiasis: Specificities and Current Recommendations.Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4885. doi:10.3390/nu15234885Zawaideh JP, Simonato A, Barbero S, Bertolotto M, Cardone G, Vota P,et al.Gas-containing renal stones: a red flag for renal infection.Acta Radiol. 2022 Nov;63(11):1563-1569. doi:10.1177/02841851211052990Leonardo Ferreira Fontenelle, Thiago Dias Sarti.Kidney stones: treatment and prevention.American Family Physician. 2019;99(8):490-496.Slattengren AH, Prasad S, Jarrett JB. PURLs:Kidney stones? It’s time to rethink those meds.J Fam Pract. 2016;65(2):118-120.National Kidney Foundation.6 easy ways to prevent kidney stones.Ormanji MS, Rodrigues FG, Heilberg IP.Dietary Recommendations for Bariatric Patients to Prevent Kidney Stone Formation.Nutrients. 2020 May 16;12(5):1442. doi:10.3390/nu12051442Gamage KN, Jamnadass E, Sulaiman SK, Pietropaolo A, Aboumarzouk O, Somani BK.The role of fluid intake in the prevention of kidney stone disease: A systematic review over the last two decades.Turk J Urol. 2020;46(Supp. 1):S92-S103. doi:10.5152/tud.2020.20155
National Kidney Foundation.Kidney stones.
Noh TI, Pyun JH, Shim JS,et al.A comparison between asymptomatic and symptomatic ureteral stones.Sci Rep.2023;13:2757. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-29866-5
Urology of Greater Atlanta.Stages of passing a kidney stone.
Urology Care Foundation.What are kidney stones?.
Khan SR, Pearle MS, Robertson WG, et al.Kidney stones.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16008. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.8
National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Disease.Definition and facts for kidney stones.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.Symptoms & causes of kidney stones.
UMPC.How to treat kidney stones at home.
Mount Sinai.Kidney stones - self-care.
Urology Specialists of the Carolinas.How to pass kidney stones naturally.
Courbebaisse M, Travers S, Bouderlique E, Michon-Colin A, Daudon M, De Mul A,et al.Hydration for Adult Patients with Nephrolithiasis: Specificities and Current Recommendations.Nutrients. 2023 Nov 22;15(23):4885. doi:10.3390/nu15234885
Zawaideh JP, Simonato A, Barbero S, Bertolotto M, Cardone G, Vota P,et al.Gas-containing renal stones: a red flag for renal infection.Acta Radiol. 2022 Nov;63(11):1563-1569. doi:10.1177/02841851211052990
Leonardo Ferreira Fontenelle, Thiago Dias Sarti.Kidney stones: treatment and prevention.American Family Physician. 2019;99(8):490-496.
Slattengren AH, Prasad S, Jarrett JB. PURLs:Kidney stones? It’s time to rethink those meds.J Fam Pract. 2016;65(2):118-120.
National Kidney Foundation.6 easy ways to prevent kidney stones.
Ormanji MS, Rodrigues FG, Heilberg IP.Dietary Recommendations for Bariatric Patients to Prevent Kidney Stone Formation.Nutrients. 2020 May 16;12(5):1442. doi:10.3390/nu12051442
Gamage KN, Jamnadass E, Sulaiman SK, Pietropaolo A, Aboumarzouk O, Somani BK.The role of fluid intake in the prevention of kidney stone disease: A systematic review over the last two decades.Turk J Urol. 2020;46(Supp. 1):S92-S103. doi:10.5152/tud.2020.20155
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