HomeAboutTopicsNewsletterCommunity
Free Weekly Health Brief
HomeAboutTopicsNewsletterCommunity
Free Weekly Health Brief
HomeAboutTopicsNewsletterCommunity
Free Weekly Health Brief
HomeAboutTopicsNewsletterCommunity
Free Weekly Health Brief
A person in a red shirt pressing a hand into their side just above the waist
Nutrition & Diet

Kidney Stones: 5 Signs You Are Passing One, and 3 Ways to Prevent the Next

A kidney stone sits quietly until it moves. Then it blocks the tube to your bladder and the pain arrives in waves. Five signs say a stone is on the move, and three levers lower the odds of the next one.

Ageless Coach Editorial Team · August 25, 2026

In 30 Seconds
Pain in waves is the tell. A stone that gets stuck blocks urine flow and makes the ureter spasm. That is why the pain rises, eases, and rises again. Mayo Clinic
Five signs point to a stone: sharp pain in the side and back, pain that spreads to the groin, pain that comes in waves, pink or red or brown urine, and burning or a constant urge to go. Mayo Clinic and NIDDK
Three levers cut the odds: more water, less sodium, and less animal protein. Calcium in food is not the enemy people think it is. NIDDK

It starts as an ache in your side, low and to the back. Half an hour later you cannot sit still. Nothing you do with your body changes it.

That is not a pulled muscle. A stone has moved into the tube between your kidney and your bladder.

Kidney stones are common and mostly preventable. Here are the five signs that one is on the move, and the three levers that lower the odds of the next.

1
The Sign Check

Five Signs a Stone Is Actually on the Move

A stone sitting in the kidney usually causes nothing at all. The Mayo Clinic notes that symptoms start when the stone moves or blocks the flow of urine.

  1. Sharp pain in the side and back, below the ribs. Not the low back where a muscle strain sits. Higher, and off to one side.
  2. Pain that spreads to the lower belly and groin. The pain travels as the stone travels. Mayo says it can shift location and intensity.
  3. Pain that comes in waves. It rises, backs off, and rises again. Cleveland Clinic calls this colicky pain.
  4. Pink, red or brown urine. Blood in the urine is common as the stone scrapes its way down.
  5. Burning, urgency, or trouble going. NIDDK lists pain while urinating, a constant need to go, and only being able to pass small amounts.
1 in 10
That is how many people will get a kidney stone at some point in their life, according to Cleveland Clinic. They are most common in men in their thirties and forties.
Source: Cleveland Clinic

Fever and chills change the picture. Mayo lists them as a reason to be seen right away, because they can mean an infection behind a blockage.

2
The Prevention

Three Levers That Lower the Odds of the Next One

Prevention is unusually clear here. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases puts one habit above all the others.

Drink more liquid, mainly water. NIDDK calls this the most important thing you can do, and many clinicians suggest six to eight 8 ounce glasses a day unless you have kidney failure.

Cut the sodium. Mayo explains the chain. More sodium means more calcium for your kidneys to filter, and more calcium in the urine means more stones.

A person pouring water from a glass carafe into a drinking glass on a kitchen counter
Water is the cheapest lever on the list and the one with the most evidence behind it.

Ease off animal protein. NIDDK names beef, chicken, pork, organ meats, eggs, fish and shellfish. Beans, dried peas and lentils are the swap it suggests.

Drinking enough liquid, mainly water, is the most important thing you can do to prevent kidney stones.

NIDDK
A glass jar tipped over on a wooden table with salt spilling out of it
Most sodium does not come from the shaker. It comes from canned, packaged and restaurant food.

Take the kidney stone sheet with you

The whole decoder on one printable sheet: the 5 signs, the 3 prevention levers, and the questions to ask. Free, unlocked right here.

Joins the free weekly Ageless Brief. Unsubscribe anytime.

Enter your email to unlock your plan

Your 1-page kidney stone plan, unlocked right here.

No spam. One short evidence brief each week. Unsubscribe anytime.
✓

Your plan is ready

Download or print it below. Save it anywhere.

⬇ Download your plan (PDF)
Your first Ageless Brief arrives this week: one study, translated, no hype.
3
The Follow Up

Why the First Stone Changes What You Should Ask

One stone raises the odds of another. Mayo lists a personal history of stones among the risk factors for getting more.

The type matters. NIDDK is clear that what you should change depends on which kind of stone you had, and there are four common kinds.

Passing one takes time. The Cleveland Clinic notes it can take as long as three weeks for a stone to pass on its own, and even small stones can hurt on the way.

Three weeks
That is how long a stone can take to pass on its own. Waiting it out without a plan, and without knowing the stone type, is how the second one gets built.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
✗
The Debunk

Three Kidney Stone Myths Worth Dropping

Stone advice ages badly. Three corrections.

Cut out calcium. No. NIDDK says that in the right amounts calcium in food can block the substances that form stones. Ask before cutting it.

Any drink counts. Water is the one NIDDK names. Sugary drinks work against you, and being overweight raises the risk on its own.

It is one and done. Rarely. Without knowing your stone type and changing the inputs, the next one is being built right now.

📋Your Coach's Recommendations
1
Strain your urine and keep the stone.
If you are passing one, catch it. The lab can tell you which of the four types it was, and NIDDK says the type decides which food changes actually help you.
2
Set a water target you can see.
Six to eight 8 ounce glasses a day is the common recommendation unless you have kidney failure. Fill a bottle in the morning so the target is visible, not theoretical.
3
Attack sodium in packaged food first.
Canned soup, deli meat, frozen meals and restaurant food carry most of it. Ask your doctor for your own sodium number rather than guessing at it.

To your health,

Ageless Coach

Age Strong. Live Long.

Trusted Sources Behind This Article
NIDDKMayo ClinicCleveland Clinic

This article is education, not medical advice. Pain you cannot sit still through, pain with vomiting, or pain with fever and chills needs urgent care, not a wait and see.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much water should I actually drink to prevent stones?
Six to eight 8 ounce glasses a day is the figure NIDDK cites, provided your kidneys are healthy. If you sweat heavily or live somewhere hot and dry, Mayo lists that as its own risk factor, so you likely need more.
Can I pass a kidney stone at home?
Many people do. Cleveland Clinic notes it can take up to three weeks, and small stones can still be extremely painful. Your doctor decides whether waiting is safe based on the size and where it sits.
Should I stop eating spinach and nuts?
Only if you had calcium oxalate stones, and only after a conversation. NIDDK lists nuts, peanuts, rhubarb, spinach and wheat bran as high oxalate foods, but the advice is stone type specific.
Does drinking lemon water help?
The evidence NIDDK highlights is about total fluid, not any particular flavor. Water is the drink it names. If lemon makes you drink more of it, that is the benefit.
Why do kidney stones hurt so much?
The stone blocks urine flow, the kidney swells, and the ureter spasms around it, in Mayo's description. The pain is the spasm, which is why it arrives in waves.
Are kidney stones more common as you get older?
Cleveland Clinic puts the peak in men in their thirties and forties, but stones happen at any age. Dehydration, extra body weight and a high sodium diet matter more than the year on your birth certificate.
Wondering where you stand overall? Take the free 5-minute Healthspan Snapshot and see your strongest and weakest of six dimensions.
Free With This Article
Your Coach's Plan

The full plan from this article as a clean 1-page PDF, checked against Tier-1 sources.

More Science. Less Noise.

View All Articles →

Fresh research, translated for every generation.