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How do I Treat a Bruised Kidney?

A. Pasbjerg
A. Pasbjerg

Treatment of a bruised kidney is typically dependent on the extent of the injury to the organ. Minor bruising will typically resolve itself with rest and limitation of fluid intake. You may experience discomfort or pain, so a medical professional may prescribe painkillers for temporary use. If your injury is accompanied by extreme pain or excessive blood in your urine, you may need to be admitted to the hospital for observation and tests to ensure the kidney is not more seriously damaged.

A bruised kidney is typically considered a minor injury and most medical professionals will opt to let it heal on its own with no medical intervention. The symptoms are typically limited to some abdominal pain and sometimes traces of blood in the urine; you should get plenty of bed rest and limit activities until these symptoms subside. Medical professionals also often suggest that sufferers limit their fluid intake to decrease the workload on the kidney until it heals. Most patients make a full recovery by following just these simple steps.

Treatment of a bruised kidney may require a visit to health care professional.
Treatment of a bruised kidney may require a visit to health care professional.

Pain can be a problem, so part of your treatment may include medication to ease your discomfort. If the pain is not significant, your healthcare provider may recommend you use an over-the-counter analgesic, like acetaminophen or NSAIDs. For those with worse injuries and more intense pain, a prescription narcotic pain medication may be more appropriate. These drugs can be habit-forming, have some significant side effects, or have negative interactions with other drugs, so you will likely only be given a limited supply.

Drinking less fluid can lower the workload for a bruised kidney.
Drinking less fluid can lower the workload for a bruised kidney.

When the symptoms of a bruised kidney are severe — for example, extreme abdominal pain and large quantities of blood in your urine — your doctor may decide that you need to go to the hospital to make sure there is not a more serious problem. These symptoms may indicate that in addition to being bruised, the organ is lacerated or the blood vessels attached to it have been torn. You will likely be monitored for such things as changes in blood pressure or cardiac performance; you may also receive intravenous fluids and possibly a blood transfusion if the bleeding continues. If it is determined that your kidney has obtained damage that cannot heal on its own, surgery may become necessary. Depending on the type of injury, this may involve repair of the organ or partial or full removal of it.

Discussion Comments

anon982241

I took a fall backward onto some stairs and suffered extreme pain from the fall and loss of breath. I recovered the breathing quickly and got on my feet. The extreme pain did not come until later on that night when I tried to lay down and could not. I eventually saw the doctor who ran a CT scan on me and found that I was just bruised with a slight amount of blood in my urine. I'll recover.

But what he found in the CT Scan can be a lifesaver for me. I have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm measuring about 3.6 cm. I was told it will be monitored about every six months and if and when it gets closer to 5 to 5.5 cm then surgery will be needed to correct it. A blowout of this could lead to death before help could be given. Amazing how God works to help us if we only listen.

irontoenail

@KoiwiGal - The thing is, I would rather be safe than sorry. I know it can be expensive to go to a doctor, and maybe if you can't really afford a casual visit, you're better off monitoring it, but if I got hit hard enough to suffer that much pain, I'd rather just get checked out.

I think if you do serious damage to your kidneys, waiting for more than a few hours to see if it will come right on its own could be a big mistake. And bruised kidney symptoms might also be something else that's gone wrong.

Of course, the best option is not to get into that situation in the first place.

KoiwiGal

A bruised kidney can hurt a lot, so that you might feel like it is in worse condition than it really is. I think that judging it by the length of time you are in pain, and by the amount of blood that appears in your urine is the best idea.

I've had friends who have suffered from kidney pain after a fight or another situation when they were thumped in the lower back. In both cases, they had a little bit of blood in their urine after the first day and then it pretty much cleared up on its own.

But in both cases they were in agony for a while. Only one of them went to the doctor and all he did was prescribe pain killers.

So, if you've got that kind of kidney problems, I think you're better off waiting for them to resolve themselves.

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    • Treatment of a bruised kidney may require a visit to health care professional.
      By: Edyta Pawlowska
      Treatment of a bruised kidney may require a visit to health care professional.
    • Drinking less fluid can lower the workload for a bruised kidney.
      By: kocakayaali
      Drinking less fluid can lower the workload for a bruised kidney.
    • Blood in the urine is a possible symptom of a bruised kidney.
      By: tomschoumakers
      Blood in the urine is a possible symptom of a bruised kidney.
    • Limiting fluid intake may be necessary to avoid pain when treating a bruised kidney.
      By: CLIPAREA.com
      Limiting fluid intake may be necessary to avoid pain when treating a bruised kidney.
    • A person with a bruised kidney may receive intravenous fluids.
      By: ShpilbergStudios
      A person with a bruised kidney may receive intravenous fluids.