Flank Pain

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What to Expect at your Health Care Provider's Office

If the pain is related to an injury, the condition will first be stabilized. Then the health care provider will obtain your medical history and will perform a physical examination.

Medical history questions documenting flank pain in detail may include the following:

• Location
  • Is the pain on one side only (unilateral) or both sides?
  • Which side?
• Quality
  • Is the pain mild?
  • Is the pain periodic and changing intensity over minutes?
  • Is the pain crampy/colicky?
  • Is the pain severe enough to require narcotic pain relievers?
• Time pattern
  • Did the pain begin recently?
  • Has the pain been gradually getting worse over months?
  • Did the pain rapidly get worse?
• Radiation
  • Does the pain go into your groin?
  • Does the pain go into your back?
  • Does the pain go up into your chest?
• Associated complaints
  • Does the pain occur with nausea or vomiting?
  • What other symptoms are also present?

Fluid intake and output may be monitored and recorded.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include the following:

• Urinalysis and urine culture
• Renal or abdominal ultrasound
• Abdominal CT scan
• Cytoscopy
• Intravenous pyelography
• Retrograde ureteropyelography
• Serial urine and serum analysis
• Voiding cystourethrography
• Lumbosacral spine X-ray