How To Use LavaBags To Treat Kidney Stone Pain

by Bill Lantz September 10, 2022

I have never experienced kidney stones before, but I hear that it can be some excruciating pain.

And for any type of pain you might have, pain relief is always welcome.

A heating pad is a good source of pain relief from any kidney pain, especially pain while passing kidney stones.

Read more to find out what causes kidney stones and how to avoid the pain in the future.

What are kidney stones?

You've probably seen it happen on televisions shows you maybe you know someone personally who has had kidney stones.

You see it a lot on TV before it can be a pretty funny sight to see, with someone writhing in pain even though they have no idea why.

I know personally I've seen it a few times on the television.

But if you've known someone personally who has had kidney stones, it is one of the most painful things in the world.

And you wouldn't want anyone you know to go through that pain.

Unfortunately that pain is going to be inevitable for people who have kidney stones.

According to the Mayo Clinic:

"Kidney stones (also called renal calculi, nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis) are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys.

Diet, excess body weight, some medical conditions, and certain supplements and medications are among the many causes of kidney stones. Kidney stones can affect any part of your urinary tract — from your kidneys to your bladder. Often, stones form when the urine becomes concentrated, allowing minerals to crystallize and stick together."

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones/symptoms-causes/syc-20355755

There are a lot of things that could contribute to you getting kidney stones.

For example, if you don't drink enough water, that could lead to kidney stone deposits forming in your kidney.

If you don't exercise enough or exercise too much, that could also cause kidney stones.

Or if you eat food with too much salt or sugar, that is another thing that can cause kidney stones.

It seems like there is a very fine line you have to follow to avoid getting kidney stones.

One person I know who got kidney stones was a very healthy and active person.

They worked every day on a construction site and walked upwards of 20 thousand steps each day.

But they had a history of kidney stones and would suffer with them every few years.

And this could have mostly been caused from all the soda that he drank.

So overall it almost seems like it is extremely hard to avoid getting kidney stones.

What causes kidney pain?

Kidney stones is only one of the things that could cause kidney pain.

Other things that could cause kidney pain are, but not limited to, the following:

Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Kidney infection
Bladder infection

Let's cover exactly what these are.

1. Urinary tract infection (UTI)

A Urinary tract infection is an infection of the path your urine takes out of your body.

This includes the kidneys, bladder, and urethra.

Common signs of a UTI is constant trips to the bathroom, a burning sensation when urinating, urine with blood in it, and bladder discomfort.

UTIs are typically caused when poop enters the urinating tract and causes an infection.

This is more common with women because they have a shorter urethra, which makes it easier for it to get infected.

2. Kidney infection

Infections in the supper urinary tract are known as kidney infections.

These can become quite serious and if you think you have this, you should visit a medical professional as soon as you can.

Signs of having a kidney infection typically include upper abdomen pain, fever and chills, and nausea and vomiting.

Kidney infections usually occur when you have an untreated UTI.

So it becomes important that if you have a UTI, you seek treatment so it doesn't become worse and turn into a kidney infection.

3. Bladder infection

A bladder infection is a bacterial infection of the bladder.

These can also be known as UTIs since the bladder is part of the urinary tract.

It also has much of the same signs as UTIs, with the addition of clouding or foul smelling urine.

If you believe you have any of the above, it is so important that you contact your local medical professional.

There are some home remedies that you might try, but for the most part, you should seek the professional opinion of someone in the medical field because they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Pain in the kidneys could also be an indicator of kidney cancer, bleeding in your kidney, polycystic kidney disease, or blood clots.

And if these are the cases (which we hope they are not) then seeking the help of a medical professional is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Kidney stones pain relief

As we mentioned previously, those who suffer from kidney stones often go through a lot of pain while their body is passing the stones.

So any relief from that pain is usually pretty helpful.

Here are a few ideas on how to give yourself a little bit of pain relief.

1. Stay hydrated

This doesn't just mean drink lots of whatever you like to drink.

This means that you should drink a lot of water.

Since the kidney stones are alone the urinary tract, any water you drink is going to help you pass the kidney stones through the urinary tract.

So instead of drinking the usually eight 8 once glasses, up your intake to twelve 8 once glasses.

This will give your body the opportunity to flush the kidney stones along the urinary tract without much effort.

2. Add lemon juice

In addition to drinking lots of water, add some lemon juice to each cup you drink.

Lemon juice has citrate in it, which is something that will break up the kidney stones.

You would have to drink quite a lot of lemon juice to dissolve the kidney stones completely, but a little bit of lemon juice might be enough to make the kidney stones small enough that they don't cause any pain.

Plus, with drinking 12 cups of water a day, it might be worth it to give your water a little extra zing.

3. Basil juice

Basil juice also comes in on the acidic side.

So drinking this juice will again help to breakdown the kidney stones.

But you shouldn't drink basil juice for an extended period of time.

Doing so will lead to other health problems for your body.

Only drink it up to 6 weeks.

Make a tea out of basil leaves and drink it a few times a day.

4. Apple cider vinegar

For a long time I didn't like apple cider vinegar.

I never liked the taste of it or the smell of it.

But I remember one time I was sick and my wife made me a drink with hot water, apple cider vinegar, and a few drops of essential oil and now I don't mind apple cider vinegar.

The same can be for you if you don't like the taste of apple cider vinegar: you might just have to find the right combination of tastes to start liking it.

Like other items we've talked about on this list, apple cider vinegar is acidic, so it will help to break down the already formed kidney stones.

It won't eliminate the kidney stones entirely, but could break them down enough that they no longer cause pain when you try to pass them.

5. Kidney bean broth

There isn't much information as to why kidney bean broth helps with the breakdown of kidney stones, but a few sources I've looked at have claimed that this helps.

7. Other foods

I think we've covered extensively the different kinds of foods you can have that will help break down kidney stones.

This includes: dandelion root juice, wheatgrass juice, horsetail juice, celery, pomegranate, and many more.

If you come across a situation where you suffer from kidney stones, you are just going to have a "try and see" situation to get some relief to your pain.

Try an option and give yourself a few days before you completely give up on it.

And as always, make sure to consult with your local medical professional to get their feedback on if any of these are good ideas for your situation.

Just keep in mind that they may suggest over the counter pain medication and if the above options don't work, the pain medication might be your best bet.

6. Applied heat

Of course one of the things that is going to help a lot with the pain is direct heat onto the pain area.

This is not only true for when you suffer an injury, but it can also be true when you are passing kidney stones.

A heating pad is good because the heat will actually allow the body to pass more blood to the affected area.

Increased blood flow means that you are allowing the muscles to relax and promoting more flexibility.

All of this makes it easier for the stones to pass.

And while it won't directly affect the size of the stones, it could make it easier for them to pass through your urinary tract.

We especially like using the LavaBag heating pad for applied heat because they are so easily heated up.

You can put them in the microwave for 3 minutes and you'll have anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes of heat relief.

And this could be nice if you are having long pain because you are passing the stones.

With other heating pads, you won't get as long as a heat period, so you don't have as much relief.

Once you've heated up the LavaBag heating pad, apply the heat directly to the area that is giving you the most pain and then you should be able to pretty quickly receive some pain relief.

Always seek medical help

Make sure that if you are think you are passing kidney stones or having some type of urinary tract issues, please go seek the help of a medical professional.

They should be able to help you determine the root of the pain you are experiencing.

Just because you are experiencing pain in the kidney area doesn't mean you have kidney stones.

So if you seek help from a medical professional, they can tell you if it is a kidney stone, UTI, or some other type of problem.

Don't start treating it yourself and assume the problem is going to go away.

Summary

Kidney stones aren't fun.

We can tell just by how they show people suffering from it on television.

But we also know because we all know someone who has suffered through it themselves.

So if you are having pain for extending periods of time, seek the help from a medical professional.

They should be able to help you determine what the source of your problem is.

Once they have discovered it is in fact kidney stones, then you can work towards drinking acidic juices and applying a LavaBag heating pad to the pain area.