About this topic
Flank pain, or side pain, causes pain between the upper belly and the middle of the back. The pain can be on either side of the body. Flank pain can be mild or it can be very bad based on what is causing the pain. Flank pain that also has signs of fever, chills, bloody urine, and passing urine often may mean a kidney problem such as a stone or infection. ‚
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- The type of care you will need at home will depend on the cause of your pain. Mild pain that only lasts a short while may go away on its own, but, pain that is very bad with other signs, such as fever or bleeding, will need treated.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- You may need to rest for a while until your pain is better.
- If your problem needs more care, your doctor may send you to physical therapy (PT).
- The doctor may send you to a specialist.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Relax muscles
- Fight an infection
What problems could happen?
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
Some causes of flank pain can be stopped or lowered by doing some easy steps: ‚
- Warm up and stretch before starting a workout.
- Use your leg muscles and knees to protect your back when lifting.
- Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. This will help to keep from getting kidney stones and infections.
- Drink less beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol) to lower your chance of other diseases.
- Talk to your doctor about getting the shingles vaccine.
- Ask your doctor when you should have a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of a very bad reaction. These include wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat. Go to the ER right away.
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, ear or sinus pain, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, pain with passing urine, mouth sores, or wound that will not heal.
- Very bad flank or belly pain
- Blood in the urine
- Very bad upset stomach, throwing up, or belly pain
- Not able to eat or drink
- Flank pain and you do not know why ¢ ˆ ’ no hard workout that may have caused a muscle strain
- Back pain and flank pain that lasts more than 5 days or gets worse
- Rash
- Not able to move or do normal daily actions
- Health problem is not better or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my pain.
- I can tell you what may help prevent pain in the future.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have very bad flank or belly pain.
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚