Physical examination and imaging are often performed to determine the cause of flank pain.
While uncommon, these issues are serious and require immediate medical care.
Examples of vascular emergencies includeaortic dissectionandacute aortic aneurysm.
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Symptoms
An aortic dissection happens 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.
This can lead to an abnormal widening of the aorta, known as an aortic aneurysm.
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.
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.
Damage to these muscles can also be resulting from trauma, such as a fall.
Additional tests are not usually needed to make this diagnosis.
Muscle strains often improve with rest from aggravating activities and home remedies.
These can includelumbar arthritis,spinal stenosis, anddisc degeneration.
In some cases, these conditions can compress nerves in the lumbar spine that supply your legs.
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.
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 triggers 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.
The primary symptom of shingles is a painful, itchy rash on one side of the torso or face.
A skin swab might be sent to a lab to confirm your diagnosis.
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.
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.
However, some causes of flank pain are more serious and require medical treatment.
You may have kidney stones if you suddenly develop severe flank pain.
Other symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, and blood in your urine.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis of kidney stones.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment for kidney stones.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Shingles symptoms and complications.
