They can be as small as a grain of sand or — rarely — larger than a golf ball. Most stones pass out of our body in urine on their own, but they can be very painful as they move through. We might need a procedure to break up or remove the stone if it can’t pass on its own or is causing a blockage.
Depending on the size of the kidney stone(s), a person may not even realize that he/she has one. Smaller stones can pass through our urinary tract in urine with no symptoms. Large kidney stones can get trapped in our ureter and can cause urine to back up and limit the kidney’s ability to filter waste from the body. It can also cause bleeding (hematuria).
It can take as long as three weeks for kidney stones to pass on their own. Even some small stones can cause extreme pain as they go through the urinary tract and out of our body.
Symptoms and Causes
The most common symptom of kidney stones is dull or sharp severe pain in lower back, abdomen or side (flank pain). It might feel like it extends from groin to side. It’s sometimes called colicky pain because it can get worse in waves.
Other kidney stone symptoms include:
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Hematuria.
- Dysuria (Pain when urinating).
- Urinary tract obstruction (unable to urinate).
- Urging to urinate (incontinence).
- Fever or chills.
- Cloudy urine
- Foul-smelling urine.
Smaller kidney stones may not cause pain or other symptoms.
Types of kidney stones
Stones are named for the type of crystals they’re made up of: 
- Calcium-oxalate and calcium phosphate stones. Calcium-based stones can form when we eat high-oxalate or low-calcium foods and aren’t drinking enough water. Calcium-oxalate stones are the most common type of kidney stones.
- Uric acid stones or ketones. Eating too much animal proteins (beef, poultry, pork, eggs and fish) can cause uric acid stones to form.
- Struvite stones. Bacterial infections can cause struvite stones. Repeated infections can lead to a staghorn calculus, a very large kidney stone that usually needs to be surgically removed.
- Cystine stones. An inherited condition called cystinuria causes cystine stones. Cystine is a substance made of two cysteine amino acids bound together.
Risk factors for kidney stones
You might be at a higher risk of developing kidney stones if you:
- Don’t drink enough fluids especially plain water.
- Eat too much meat and other protein-rich foods.
- Eat foods high in sodium or sugars (especially artificial sucrose and fructose).
- Take vitamin C supplements.
- Urinary tract obstruction or obstructive uropathy.
- Have had stomach or intestine surgery, including gastric bypass surgery.
- Take certain allopathic medications for example diuretics, calcium-based antacids, some antiseizure medications.
- Have certain medical conditions for example:
- Cystic fibrosis.
- Cystinuria (a genetic disorder that causes a buildup of cystine).
- Diabetes.
- Gout.
- Hypertension (high blood pressure).
- Hypercalciuria (High calcium levels in urine).
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Kidney cysts.
- Obesity.
- Osteoporosis.
- Parathyroid disease.
- Primary hyperoxaluria.
- Hemiplegia or paraplegia (types of paralysis).
Complications
Kidney stones can put patient at risk for:
- A Urinary tract obstruction or obstructive uropathy or blockage that backs urine up into the kidney, causing them to swell (hydronephrosis).
- Kidney infection (pyelonephritis).
- Acute kidney injury (a type of kidney failure that can be reversible).
- Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Diagnosis
Healthcare providers use imaging, blood and urine tests to diagnose kidney stones. If you suspect patient have a kidney stone based on his/her symptoms and physical exam, patient may need one or more of these tests:
- Urine test – for blood, stone-forming crystals and signs of infection.
- Imaging – X-rays, CT scans (computed tomography scans) and ultrasound can help you see the size, shape, location and number of calculi/stones.
- Blood tests – to check kidney function, detect infections and look for high levels of calcium or other conditions that could lead to stone formation.
Allopathic Treatment for kidney Stones
If patient have a small stone that’s likely to pass on its own, monitor patient’s symptoms until it passes in urine itself. You might prescribe medications that keep patient comfortable and help the stone pass on its own. 
Larger stones need treatment depending on their size, location, whether they’re causing infections or symptoms, and other factors. If patient have a large stone or a blockage, or if a stone isn’t passing on its own in a few weeks, recommend lithotripsy (explained below) to break up or remove it with medicines for example:
Allopurinol to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and urine and a medicine to keep urine alkaline. In some cases, allopurinol and an alkalizing agent may dissolve the uric acid stones.
Calcium stones. To help prevent calcium stones from forming, you may prescribe a thiazide diuretic or a phosphate-containing preparation.
Struvite stones. To prevent struvite stones, you may recommend strategies to keep patient’s urine free of bacteria that cause infection, including drinking fluids to maintain good urine flow and frequent voiding. In rare cases long-term use of antibiotics in small or intermittent doses may help achieve this goal. For instance, recommend an antibiotic before and for a while after surgery to treat the kidney stones.
Cystine stones. Along with suggesting a diet lower in salt and protein, recommend drinking more fluids so that patient produce a lot more urine, if that alone doesn’t help, you may also prescribe a medication that increases the solubility of cystine in patient’s urine.
If patient have a kidney stone that can pass on its own and isn’t causing infection, you may prescribe or recommend medications to:
- Relax ureter to help stones pass. Commonly prescribed medicines include tamsulosin and nifedipine.
- Advise phosphodiesterase 4 enzyme which acts as antispasmodic.
- Manage nausea and vomiting.
- Manage pain. Even small stones that can pass on their own can be very painful. Prescribe medications or make recommendations for over the counter (OTC) medications to manage the pain. (Caution: diclofenac and ibuprofen can increase the risk of kidney failure if patient take it during an acute attack of kidney stones).
Kidney stone procedures
Kidney stone that can’t pass on its own or is blocking urinary tract, recommend a procedure to break up and/or remove the stone. The type of procedure depends on many factors, including the size and location of the stone.
Kidney stone procedures include:
- Shockwave lithotripsy. Shockwaves to break apart the stones from the outside of patient’s body. The fragments can move through patient’s urinary tract and out of the body more easily.
- Ureteroscopy. A doctor inserts a scope through the urethra and bladder and into the ureter. Instruments the doctor passes through the scope can break up and remove the stone. The smaller pieces can move through urinary tract and out of the body more easily.
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Recommend percutaneous nephrolithotomy when you can’t treat a kidney stone with other procedures. During percutaneous nephrolithotomy, doctor inserts a tube directly into the kidney through a tiny incision/cut in patient’s back. An ultrasound probe breaks apart and removes the stones.
- Laparoscopic surgery. During laparoscopic surgery, makes a small incision to remove the stone. In some rare cases, you might need to perform open surgery (with a larger incision) instead of laparoscopy.
Homeopathic Treatment for Kidney Stones
Berberus Vulgaris 
Gout. Kidneys pain, inflammation with hematuria. Arthritic affections with urinary disturbances. Wandering, radiating pains. Burning pains. Sensation as if some urine remained after urinating. Urine with thick mucus and bright-red, mealy sediment. Bubbling, sore sensation in kidneys. Pain in bladder region. Frequent urination: urethra burns when not urinating. Kidney stones. Polyuria. Sediments in urine. Mucus and/or hematuria.
Epigea Repens
Chronic cystitis, dysuria; tenesmus after micturition; muco-pus and uric-acid deposit, gravel, kidney stones. Fine sand in urine of a brown color. Micturition. Pyelitis, incontinence of urine.
Pareria Brava
Kidney stones. Renal colic, prostatic affections, and catarrh of bladder. Sensation as if bladder were distended, with pain. Pain going down thigh. Urine black, bloody, thick with mucus. Constant urging; great straining; pain down thighs during efforts to urinate. Can emit urine only when he goes on his knees, pressing head firmly against the floor. Feeling of the bladder being distended and neuralgic pain in the anterior crural region. Dribbling after micturition. Violent pain in glans penis. Itching along urethra; urethritis, with prostatic trouble. Inflammation of urethra; becomes almost cartilaginous.
Stigmata Maydis
Suppression and retention. Kidney stones. Dysuria. Renal lithiasis; nephritic colic; blood and red sand in urine. Tenesmus after urinating. Vesical catarrh. Gonorrhea. Cystitis.
Argentum Nitricum
Urethra inflamed, with splinter like pain, burning, itching. Kidney stones. Urine scanty and dark. Emission of a few drops after having finished. Divided stream. Hematuria.
Xanthorrhoea Arborea
Severe pain in kidneys, cystitis & kidney stones. Pain from ureter to bladder & testicles. Flank pain.
Tabacum
Renal colic, kidney stones, severe nausea. Paralysis of sphincter, constant dribbling. Enuresis. Urine yellowish red, with increased secretion. Micturition.
Fabiana Imbricata
Uric acid diathesis, cystitis, gonorrhea, prostatitis, dysuria, vesical catarrh with suppurative prostatic conditions; post-gonorrheal urinary conditions; cholestasis and liver affections. Vesical tenesmus and burning after urination. Excoriating urine and kidney stones.
Acid Benzoicum
Repulsive odor; changeable color; brown, acid. Enuresis; dribbling. kidney stones. Excess of uric acid. Vesical catarrh from suppressed gonorrhea. Cystitis.
Acid Nitricum
Urine scanty, dark, offensive. Smells like horse’s urine. Cold on passing. Burning and stinging. Urine bloody and albuminous. Alternation of cloudy, phosphatic urine with profuse urinary secretion in old prostatic cases. Kidney stones.
Nitroso Muriatic Acid
Kidney stones. Oxaluria, almost a specific. Urine cloudy, burning in urethra. Urging in penis and bladder; aching in hips, thighs, and small of back; after a short delay some pale urine passed.
Medorrhinum 
Intense renal colic; severe pain in ureters, with sensation as of passage of calculus; during kidney attack, great craving for cold. Kidney stones, great pressure in bladder, greater than amount of urine warrants; urine scanty and high colored. Pain in renal region, profuse urination. Urine covered with thick oily pellicle; intensely yellow. Slow flow: cutting across root of penis transversely just as last drops are voided; intermittent. Syncope after urination.
Lycopodium Clavatum
Pain in back before urinating; ceases after flow; slow in coming, must strain. Retention. Polyuria during the night, too frequent emission, with discharge of large quantities of pale urine. Heavy red sediment. Kidney stones. Oily urine. Foamy urine. Involuntary micturition. Urine having heavy, red, crystallized sediments. Turbid, milky urine, with an offensive purulent sediment; dull pressure in region of bladder and abdomen; disposition to calculi; cystitis. Hematuria from gravel or chronic catarrh – blood instead of urine, sometimes with paralysis of the legs, and constipation. Incontinence.
Dioscorea Villosa
Writhing with dry and crampy pains, with passing of renal calculus. Spasmodic stricture of urethra, with pain about navel.
Sepia Officinalis
Red adhesive sand in urine. Chronic cystitis, slow micturition with bearing down sensation. Kidney stones. Urine highly offensive. Pains from other parts to back, attended with shuddering. Slow urination.
Eryngium Aquaticum
Kidney stones. Strangury, etc, with nervous erethism. Thick, yellow mucous discharges. Uridrosis, sweat of urinous odor in evening. Tenesmus of bladder and urethra. Difficult and frequent micturition. Pain behind pubes. Spasmodic stricture. Renal colic. Congestion of kidneys with dull pain in back, radiating to ureters and limbs. Irritable bladder from enlarged prostate gland.
Hedeoma Pulegioides
Frequent urging, cutting pains. Kidney stones. Dragging burning pain from kidney to bladder. Burning irritation at neck of bladder causing frequent intense desire to urinate and inability to retain urine for more than few minutes, better urinating.
Silicia Tera
Urine bloody, involuntary with red or yellow sediment. Kidney stones. Prostatic fluid discharged when straining at stool. Nocturnal enuresis.
Chimapholia Umbilata
Acts principally on kidneys, and Genito-urinary tract. Urging to urinate. Urine turbid, offensive, containing ropy or bloody mucus, and depositing a copious sediment. Kidney stones. Micturition, and straining. Acute prostatitis, retention. Fluttering in region of kidney. Sugar in urine.
Chinum Sulphuricum 
Hematuria. Turbid, slimy, clay-colored, oily and sediment. Kidney stones. Small amount of urea and phosphoric acid with excess of uric acid and abundance of chlorides, accompanied by subnormal temperature. Excessive flow. Albuminuria.
Cannabis Indica
Urine loaded with slimy mucus. Must strain; dribbling; has to wait some time before the urine flows. Stitches and burning in urethra. Dull pain in region of right kidney.
Hydrastis Canadensis
Dull aching in region of kidneys. Urine smells decomposed; increased and of neutral reaction. Catarrh of bladder, with thick, ropy mucous sediment in urine. Kidney stones. Dysuria; suppression; incontinence.
Hydrangea Arborescens
Burning in urethra and frequent desire. Urine hard to start. Heavy deposit of mucus. Sharp pain in loins. Enlarged prostate. Gravelly deposits. Kidney stones. Spasmodic stricture. Profuse deposit of white amorphous salts.
Calcarea Carbonicum
Tenesmus of the bladder. Polyuria, even in the night. Bedwetting. Deep-colored urine, without sediment. Hematuria, or urine of brownish red, of an acrid, pungent, and fetid smell, with white and mealy sediment. Kidney stones. Abundant discharge of mucus with the urine. Polypus of the bladder. Micturition.
Calcarea Renalis
Gout. Gravel. Nodes on joints. Kidney stones. Stone in bladder. Teeth tartar.
Ocimum Canum
High acidity, formation of spike crystals of uric acid. Turbid, thick, purulent, bloody; brick-dust red or yellow sediment. kidney stones. Odor of musk. Pain in ureters. Cramps in kidneys.
Barosma Crenulatum
Specific effects on Genito-urinary system; muco-purulent discharges. Irritable bladder, with vesical catarrh; prostatic disorders. Kidney Stones. Leucorrhea.
Ledum Paulstre
Burning in urethra after urinating. Stream of urine frequently stops. Frequent want to urinate, with scanty emission. Diminished secretion of urine. Kidney stones. Frequent and copious emission of urine. Swelling of urethra.
Sarsaparilla Officinalis
Renal colic; marasmus and periosteal pains due to venereal disease. Urine scanty, slimy, flaky, sandy, bloody. Gravel/kidney stones. Renal colic. Painful urination. Urine dribbles while sitting. Bladder distended and tender. Sand on diaper. Renal colic and dysuria in infants. Tenesmus of bladder; urine passes in thin, feeble stream. Pain at meatus.
Ipomoea 
Kidney stones. Sharp cutting pain. Flank pain. Severe pains in kidney, with paroxysms of pain running along ureter and in back; nausea and occasional vomiting.
Diminution of contractile power of bladder. Kidney disorders or gravel with pain in back.
Urtica Urense
Chronic urine suppressed. Auria; edematous swelling of whole upper body to umbilicus. Strangury; gravel; disease of bladder and kidneys. Hemorrhage from bladder.
Uva Ursi
Kidney stones. Cystitis, with hematuria. Uterine hemorrhage. Chronic vesical irritation, with pain, tenesmus, and catarrhal discharges. Burning after the discharge of slimy urine. Pyelitis. Calculous inflammation. Dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, pulse small and irregular. Cyanosis. Urticaria without itching.
Frequent urging, with severe spasms of bladder; burning and tearing pain. Hematuria, pus, and much tenacious mucus, with clots in large masses. Involuntary; green urine. Painful dysuria.
Cantharis Vesicatoria
Intolerable urging and tenesmus. Nephritis with bloody urine. Violent paroxysms of cutting and burning in whole renal region, with painful urging to urinate. Kidney stones. Intolerable tenesmus; cutting before, during, and after urine. Urine scalds – passed drop by drop. Constant desire to urinate. Membranous scales (like bran in urine). Urine jelly-like, shreddy.
Nux Vomica
Irritable bladder; from spasmodic sphincter. Frequent urination; little and often. Hematuria. Ineffectual urging, spasmodic and strangury. Renal colic extending to genitals, with dribbling urine. While urinating, itching in urethra and pain in neck of bladder.
Senecio Auteus
Renal colic, great heat & constant urging. Nephritis. Scanty, high colored, bloody with much mucus & tenesmus. Irritable bladder with headache. Backache of congested kidneys. Kidney stones.
Piperazinum
Urinary calculi, uric acid diathesis. Constant backache. Urine scanty. Rheumatic urethritis. Gout.
Pulsatilla Pratensis
Polyuria; worse when lying down. Burning in orifice of urethra during and after micturition. Involuntary micturition at night, while coughing or passing flatus. After urinating, spasmodic pain in bladder.
Plumbum Metallicum
Uric acid stones. Frequent, ineffectual tenesmus. Albuminous; low specific gravity. Chronic interstitial nephritis with great pain. Urine scanty. Tenesmus of bladder. Emission drops by drop.
Polygonum Sagittatum
Pains of nephritic colic, lancinating pain along spine. Suppurative nephritis. Aching pain in hips & loins. Inflammation of kidneys. Strangury. Deposit in urine of mucus and phosphates. Frequent and profuse discharge of clear, light, or straw-colored urine. Albuminuria.
Coccus Cacti
Urging to urinate; brick-red sediment. Urinary calculi, hematuria, urates, and uric acid; lancinating pains from kidney to bladder. Deep-colored, thick urine. Dysuria.
Solidaga Virgaurea
Scanty, reddish brown, thick sediment, dysuria, kidney stones. Difficult and scanty urine. Albumen, blood, and slime in urine. Pain in kidneys radiates to abdomen and bladder. Clear and offensive urine.
Oxydendron Arboreum 
Dropsy-ascites and anasarca. Urine suppressed. Kidney stones. Prostatic enlargement. Vesical calculi. Irritation of neck of bladder.
Phosphorus
Hematuria, especially in acute Bright’s disease. Turbid, brown, with red sediment. kidney stones.
Lithium Carbonicum
Soreness of bladder; pain in kidney and ureter. Turbid urine with mucus, scanty and dark, acrid; sandy deposit. Kidney stones.
Thlaspi Bursa Pastoris
Frequent desire; urine heavy, phosphatic. Chronic cystitis. Dysuria and spasmodic retention. Hematuria. Accumulation of gravel. Renal colic. Brick-dust sediment. Urethritis: urine runs away in little jets. kidney stones.
Vesicaria
Smarting, burning sensation along urethra & bladder with frequent desire to void urine often with strangury. kidney stone. Cystitis. Dropsy. Gleet. Gonorrhea. Gravel. Hematuria. Nephralgia. Prostatitis.
P. S: This article is only for doctors having good knowledge about Homeopathy and allopathy, for learning purpose(s).
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None of above-mentioned medicine(s) is/are the full/complete treatment, but just hints for treatment; every patient has his/her own constitutional medicine.
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