Edited by Charlotte Braun RN Kidney stones usually develop in the kidneys from a variety of causes. Pain is created when the stones pass into the ureter, or tubes that connect the kidney to the bladder. Stones create tears in the lining of the ureter, but most pain is created from the back up of fluid into the kidney.
Fluid fills the kidney, and pain to the flank on the effected side is created.
Movement of the stone down the ureters until they lodge and eventually obstruct another area of the ureter, creates the sensation that the pain moves to the abdomen and groin area. Sensations of urgency and frequency develop if the stone becomes lodged where the ureter joins into the bladder. Stones passing into the bladder rarely cause pain. Treatment includes management of the pain to help the patient relax. Narcotics relieve pain by scrambling messages in the spinal cord.