Kidney Stones: All about It
Urine holds multiple dissolved minerals and salts. When the urine is high in these minerals and salt, kidney stones form. Kidney stones are initially small but large and can even fill the hollow structure inside the kidney. Some stones remain in the kidneys and do not cause problems. Urine stones can travel into the bladder through the ureter, which connects the kidney with the bladder. When the stone reaches the bladder, it excretes in the urine. When a stone stays in the ureter, it blocks the flow of urine from its kidneys, causing pain. What is a kidney stone? Generally, the kidneys remove waste products from the blood and make urine (pee). If there are too many waste products in the blood and the body doesn't produce enough urine, crystals will begin to form in the kidneys. These crystals attract other waste products and chemicals to form solids (kidney stones). Solids (kidney stones) grow larger if they are not excreted from the urine. The kidney stones can be as dimin...