What Are Kidney Stones?

A kidney stone is a hard piece of material that is formed from substances in the urine and develops in a kidney. These hard stones may often come loose and move down the urinary tract. If it is small enough, it can pass through in the urine with little pain. However, the bigger kidney stones can lodge somewhere in the urinary tract, get stuck, and cause a lot of pain. It can also obstruct the flow of urine. This article explains what causes them, and describes several different treatments for them.

Urine contains substances that are supposed to keep crystals of materials in the urine from forming. Unfortunately, these inhibitors don't always work and stones are formed. Stones generally are made up of calcium and phosphate, two things that are part of a normal diet. There are many possible reasons that
(Extremely acidic urine can also cause gout.) Diuretics can decrease the amount of calcium that is let into the kidneys so that the calcium can be retained by the bones.

The most commonly used treatment to cure kidney stones is by the use of shock waves outside the body, technically known as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy. These shock waves move through the body until they find the solid kidney stones. Once the wave hits the stones, they begin to shatter into small granules that can easily be passed in the urine.

Surgery sometimes is the only recourse for removal of a stone. If all other treatment has failed and the stone has not passed on its own, the stone should be removed. If not, protracted urinary tract infections can occur and the kidneys can begin to bleed. Most surgery can be done as microsurgery on an outpatient basis.

Preventing kidney stones is naturally the best option. However, if you do have painful kidney stones, there are successful treatment options like medication and diet, shock wave therapy, and