In most cases, kidney disease does not cause pain or discomfort near the kidneys. This is because there are very few nerves that sense pain in the kidney. There are some in the area surrounding the kidney. Most of the time when there is pain, it comes from elsewhere in the urinary tract system, particularly the bladder and the tubes connecting the kidneys to them (ureters).
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Most urinary infections usually involve only the bladder so the pain or discomfort is limited to pelvic pain or burning on urination. If the infection spreads to infect the kidney (called pyelonephritis), it can cause flank tenderness or pain. When this happen, there is usually high fever, shaking chills, and nausea or vomiting.
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These are notorious for causing severe pain when they get stuck in the ureters. The pain usually starts gradually in the flank and then intensifies over the next hour. In many cases, narcotics are required to make the pain bearable.
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In order for kidney cancers to cause pain, they need to get large enough to penetrate the covering of the kidney or lead to a blocking of an ureter or blood vessel. When this happens, it can cause flank or abdominal pain. Most cancers today are found before they get large enough to cause pain.
