Kidney Stone or Kidney Infection? Symptoms, What Helps, and When It's the ER

A kidney stone usually causes sudden, severe pain in the side or back, below the ribs, that comes in waves and moves toward the groin, often with nausea and blood in the urine. A kidney infection (pyelonephritis) usually causes fever, chills, back or side pain and UTI symptoms like burning when you pee. Small stones often pass on their own. A kidney infection needs antibiotics promptly. A stone with fever, or pain you can't control, is an emergency.

Kidney stone symptoms

• Sharp, severe pain in the side or back, below the ribs
• Pain that comes in waves and moves to the lower belly and groin
• Pink, red or brown urine
• Burning when you pee, or needing to go urgently and often
• Nausea and vomiting
• Restlessness: it's hard to find a position that helps

Kidney infection symptoms

• Fever and chills
• Pain in the back, side or groin, often a constant ache
• Burning when you pee, needing to go often, cloudy or foul-smelling urine
• Nausea and vomiting
• Feeling very unwell

A kidney infection usually starts as a bladder infection that travels upward. Our UTI post covers the early symptoms, and treating a UTI early helps prevent this.

How to tell them apart

• Fever and chills point to an infection. A stone usually doesn't cause fever unless it's also infected.
• Pain that comes in waves and moves to the groin points to a stone.
• Both can cause blood in the urine and nausea. A urine test helps tell them apart.

What helps a small stone pass

Stones smaller than about 5 mm often pass on their own within a few days to a few weeks. A clinician may recommend:

• Drinking plenty of water, enough to make your urine pale
• Pain medicine, such as ibuprofen or naproxen if they're safe for you
• Medicine that relaxes the ureter to help the stone pass
• Straining your urine to catch the stone, so it can be tested

Preventing kidney stones

• Drink plenty of water, especially in Denver's dry climate and at altitude
• Cut back on salt and on large amounts of animal protein
• Get calcium from food rather than cutting it out
• Ask about specific diet changes once you know the type of stone

What urgent care can do

A clinician can examine you, test your urine for blood, infection and pregnancy, and treat a kidney infection with antibiotics if you're well enough to go home. If a stone is suspected and you need imaging, strong pain control or IV medicine, or if there are signs of a serious infection, you'll be sent to the ER.

At an AfterOurs clinic, a standard self-pay visit is $175, and a self-pay in-clinic visit never costs more than $330. We contract with all major commercial and government plans, including Colorado Medicaid and Medicare. See our UTI page and the cost and insurance page. Our post on lower right or left belly pain covers other causes.

Go to the ER or call 911 if you have side or back pain with a fever or chills, pain so severe you can't sit still or keep medicine down, vomiting and can't keep fluids down, can't pee or are peeing very little, have only one kidney or a kidney transplant, or are pregnant with these symptoms.

Where to find us

Four clinics across metro Denver, all ages welcome, se habla español:

• Hampden (Southeast Denver): 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Littleton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Thornton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Highlands: Mon–Fri 5–11 PM, Sat–Sun 8 AM–11 PM

Walk in, or book online.