What should you know about right side upper flank pain?

The upper flank lies between the ribs and hip, toward the back. Pain there may follow a muscle strain or irritated rib and often changes with movement or touch. Urinary causes include a Kidney Infection, Kidney Stones, or a Urinary Tract Infection. A kidney infection may present with flank pain alongside fever, chills, nausea, or painful urination. A stone may cause severe waves of pain, sometimes with blood in the urine. Pain under the right ribs can also arise from nearby digestive or biliary structures, so location alone cannot identify the cause.

Note when the pain began, whether it is constant or comes in waves, and whether movement, meals, urination, or pressure changes it. Drink normally unless a clinician has told you to restrict fluids, and avoid strenuous lifting while the cause is unclear. A clinician may check your abdomen and back, urine, temperature, and other signs before deciding whether further tests are needed. Do not take leftover antibiotics.

Seek urgent care for severe or rapidly worsening pain, fever with flank pain, repeated vomiting, confusion, fainting, inability to pass urine, or visible blood in the urine. Get prompt medical advice if pain persists, returns repeatedly, follows an injury, or occurs with painful urination. New pain during pregnancy or in a person with one functioning kidney also deserves timely clinical guidance.

Ask whether your symptoms fit a urinary, muscular, digestive, or other source; whether urine testing is needed; and which pain medicines are suitable with your health conditions. Ask when to return if the pain changes.