Some injuries can bruise your kidney. These include car crashes, falls, assaults, and injuries from contact sports. A kidney bruise may cause blood to appear in your urine. The blood may be in small amounts that you can't see. Or it might color your urine pink or light red. Any blood often clears in 1 to 2 days, and the kidney function returns to normal. Call your doctor if the blood doesn't clear from your urine after 2 days.
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of a bruised kidney include:
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Blood in the urine.
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Abdominal pain.
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Pain in the area between your hip and ribs (flank pain) or in your back.
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Bruising, swelling, or seatbelt marks in the area of your kidney, low back, or abdomen.
Home care
If you've had a bruise to your kidney, follow these tips:
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Drink lots of fluid. This means at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.
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Rest. Don't lift heavy objects or do strenuous activity for the next few days.
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You may use over-the-counter medicine to control pain, unless your doctor prescribed something else. Talk with your doctor before using acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as naproxen or ibuprofen, if you have chronic liver or kidney disease or are taking blood thinners. Also talk with your doctor if you've ever had a stomach ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding. Children and teens should not take aspirin unless their doctor says it is safe. Aspirin can put them at risk for Reye syndrome, a rare but serious condition.
Follow-up care
Follow up with your doctor if you still have blood in your urine after 2 days (48 hours).
Call 911
Call
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Have fainting, lightheadedness, dizziness, weakness, or a loss of consciousness.
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Have a rapid heart rate.
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Have heavy bleeding.
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Have severe belly (abdominal) pain or swelling.
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Have severe back pain.
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Have trouble breathing.
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Have a loss of feeling or weakness in your legs.
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Are unable to hold your urine (incontinence).
When to get medical advice
Contact your doctor right away if you:
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Have pain in your back or belly that gets worse.
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Have repeated vomiting.
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Notice larger amounts of blood in your urine.
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Pass blood clots in your urine.
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Cannot pass urine.
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Have a fever of 100.4°F (38ºC) or higher, or as advised by your doctor.
