Kidney stones are tiny, hard mineral deposits that build up in your kidneys and cause intense discomfort as they pass through your urinary tract. They can be a painful experience many people hope to avoid. Yet, more than half a million people in the United States end up in emergency rooms with kidney stone-related problems. Fortunately, by understanding the causes and symptoms of kidney stones, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing them. Mitchell Heiner, MD, a Urologist at Intermountain Health Logan Regional Hospital, shares his best tips on how to prevent and manage kidney stones.
What Are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are solid masses of minerals and salts that start as crystals clumping together in your kidneys. They form when your urine becomes highly concentrated, meaning it doesn’t have enough water to filter these minerals out, leaving them behind in your kidneys to harden from crystals to stones. They can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. The most common type is calcium oxalate stones.
“Around 70-80% of all kidney stones are calcium oxalate stones,” Dr. Heiner said. “These stones are primarily made of calcium and oxalate, a substance found in many foods like spinach, nuts, and chocolate.”
Other types include calcium phosphate, struvite, cystine, and uric acid stones. Each type requires different treatments and prevention methods.
What Are Kidney Stone Symptoms?
Symptoms often depend on the size and location of the stones. Many stones are small enough to pass without noticing. However, larger stones can cause noticeable and sometimes extreme discomfort. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms below, it may be time to talk with your primary care physician about next steps:
- Severe pain in the back, side, or lower abdomen: Many patients report sharp pain coming in waves, manifesting just below the ribs.
- Blood in the urine: This may appear as brown or red splotches and is the result of the stones damaging your urinary tract lining. Dr. Heiner said even a small amount could indicate a serious problem.
- Pain during urination: This is due to the stones moving through your urinary tract.
- Frequent urination: This is caused by your body working overtime to expel the stones. Urgency and frequency may increase as the stone descends your urinary tract.
- Persistent, severe pain or discomfort: Especially if it affects daily activities.
See a doctor immediately if you have these symptoms along with nausea, vomiting, fever, or chills.
What Causes Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones can happen to anyone. However, according to research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you are most at risk of developing kidney stones if you are a man between the ages of 40 and 60. Other factors increasing your risk include:
- Dehydration: Not drinking enough water makes it easier for your urine to become highly concentrated, allowing stones to form.
- Weight: The NIH found that overweight and obese patients are at a much higher risk for developing kidney stones.
- High Sodium and/or Protein Diet: Sodium increases calcium in the body while protein increases your uric acid. These two minerals are common culprits of kidney stones.
- Pre-Existing Medical Conditions: Conditions such as gout, frequent urinary tract infections, hypothyroidism, or metabolic disorders can heighten your risk.
- Surgeries: Digestive surgeries such as gastric bypass can change how your body absorbs calcium, leading to a higher risk of developing stones.
- Medication Intake: Frequent use of medications such as vitamin C, calcium-based antacids, and laxatives can increase your body’s calcium intake.
- Family History: If someone in your family has had kidney stones, you’re more likely to develop them too.
- Bed Rest or Inactivity
What Can I Do to Prevent Kidney Stones?
While the best thing to do to prevent kidney stones is to increase hydration, Dr. Heiner says that nothing can guarantee the prevention of kidney stones. However, changes to diet and exercise habits, as well as certain supplements, may help prevent kidney stones from forming in the future.
“While there are no definitive natural remedies that can guarantee the prevention of kidney stones, certain lifestyle changes, dietary adjustments, and supplements may help reduce the risk,” Dr. Heiner said.
To prevent kidney stones, you can:
- Stay Hydrated: Staying well hydrated is the most effective prevention measure against kidney stones. Water helps dilute your urine and reduces the concentration of minerals that allow stones to form. Aim to drink enough water to produce 2-3 liters of light yellow-colored urine daily. Be wary of consuming too much caffeine or alcohol, as these beverages dehydrate you more.
- Eat More Fruit: Certain fruits can lower your risk of kidney stones. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, contain plenty of citrate, a nutrient that can break down the minerals that can become kidney stones. Pomegranates and pomegranate juice contain antioxidants that may improve kidney function and reduce inflammation.
- Change Your Diet: Salt and sugar, while tasty in moderation, increase calcium excretion and can lead to further stones. It’s important to cut your intake to reduce your risk. Maintain a diet with high fiber, high potassium, lean plant-based proteins, and whole grains. Foods such as bananas, potatoes, beans, tofu, citrus fruit, and leafy greens are full of nutrients to help fend off new stone formation. If you are prone to calcium oxalate stones, your healthcare provider may recommend that you limit your intake of foods with oxalate such as spinach, sweet potatoes, beets, nuts, and chocolate.
- Exercise: Regular physical activity can help with weight management, improved hydration, increased citrate production, and improved bone health, all of which can lower your risk. Make sure to drink plenty of water while you exercise, so you don’t become dehydrated. Light exercise is recommended for people at risk of kidney stones, as intense physical activity can lead to excess muscle breakdown and increased calcium excretion.
- Consider Natural Supplements: 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, when diluted with water, contains acetic acid, which has been shown to help break kidney stones up in certain studies. Additionally, certain natural supplements such as dandelion root, horsetail, nettle leaf, and uva ursi have known diuretic properties that can increase the dilution of urine and improve the overall health of your kidneys. Before adding any supplement to your regimen, consult with your doctor to make sure it's right for you.
- Medical Follow-Up: If you have had kidney stones in the past, it’s important to stay in contact with your doctor. They may have laboratory tests, such as stone or urine analysis, that can provide insight into the types of stones you’re prone to and how you can prevent them.
Managing Kidney Stones: When Prevention Isn’t Enough
When managing kidney stones becomes more than you can handle alone, it’s important to talk with your doctor or urologist about medical intervention.
“New advances in kidney stone treatments are being developed to reduce stone formation every day,” Dr. Heiner assured us.
Your treatment may include any of the following:
- Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques: The most common form of treatment is minimally invasive procedures. These include Shockwave Lithotripsy, where soundwaves are used to break up kidney stones, Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy, where a small incision is made in the back to physically remove stones, and Flexible Ureteroscopy, where a scope is used to locate and remove the stones. All of these procedures have low or reduced discomfort and fast recovery times.
- Medical Intervention: Certain medications may be prescribed by your doctor to help you break up and pass the stones naturally. Some medications may even prevent future stones!
- Innovative Devices and Technologies: Improvements in technology, such as lasers, stents, or implants, may be used in cases where patients suffer from frequent kidney stones.
To learn more about Intermountain Health Urology services, start here.