---
title: "Kidney Stones"
url: https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/k/kidney-stones/
description: "Urine contains many dissolved minerals and salts. When your urine has high levels of these minerals and salts, you can form stones. Kidney stones can..."
---

# Kidney Stones

Urine contains many dissolved minerals and salts. When your urine has high levels of these minerals and salts, you can form stones. Kidney stones can start small but can grow larger in size, even filling the inner hollow structures of the kidney. Some stones stay in the kidney, and do not cause any problems. Sometimes, the kidney stone can travel down the ureter, the tube between the kidney and the bladder. If the stone reaches the bladder, it can be passed out of the body in urine. If the stone becomes lodged in the ureter, it blocks the urine flow from that kidney and causes pain.

Archived from the 2024 edition

## Overview

The kidneys are fist-size organs that handle the body's fluid and chemical levels. Most people have two kidneys, one on each side of the spine behind the liver, stomach, pancreas and intestines. Healthy kidneys clean waste from the blood and remove it in the urine. They control the levels of sodium, potassium and calcium in the blood.

The kidneys, ureters and bladder are part of your urinary tract. The urinary tract makes, transports, and stores urine in the body. The kidneys make urine from water and your body's waste. The urine then travels down the ureters into the bladder, where it is stored. Urine leaves your body through the urethra.

## In this entry

The archived page carried these sections, in this order.

- The Kidneys and Urinary System
- What are Kidney Stones Made of?
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Low Urine Volume
- Diet
- Bowel Conditions
- Obesity
- Medical conditions
- Medication

## Other entries in Kidney Cancer and Stones

- [Adrenal Gland Cancers](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/a_/adrenal-gland-cancers/)
- [Adrenal Mass](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/a_/adrenal-mass/)
- [Antegrade Pyelography](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/a_/antegrade-pyelography/)
- [Conn's Syndrome](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/c/conns-syndrome/)
- [Cushing's Syndrome](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/c/cushings-syndrome/)
- [Ectopic Kidney](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/e/ectopic-kidney/)
- [Ectopic Ureter](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/e/ectopic-ureter/)
- [Extrinsic Obstruction of the Ureter](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urology-a-z/e/extrinsic-obstruction-of-the-ureter/)

### Source of this entry

- Original address**/urology-a-z/k/kidney-stones/**
- Edition**2024 edition**
- Group**Kidney Cancer and Stones**

### This is not medical advice

These pages are archived reference copies of material published on this domain. They are not medical advice, not a diagnosis and not a substitute for talking with a health professional.

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- [About OAB](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/its-time-to-talk-about-oab/about-oab/)
- [Overactive Bladder: Patient Guide](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/overactive-bladder/)
- [Urologic Conditions](https://itstimetotalkaboutoab.org/urologic-conditions/)
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