Today I got a massage and the lady who massages me told me that I shouldn't be alarmed but maybe I might want to see a doctor. She said that every time she has massaged me she felt a tightness on my left side down near where my kidneys are on the left of my spine. I didn't know what she meant and she tried to show me how it felt but I can't feel anything. I have no pain. She said she didn't know it was a problem but it was just odd and might be something to have a doctor look at. Has anyone ever had a problem that this could be a symptom of? It makes me kind of nervous that I might have kidney problems and not know it.

Hmm I have lots of stones and kidney infections but I never noticed a tightness when I do. It just hurts in that area. If you atr worried you could get it checked out to be on the safe side. I wish I knew what to tell you but I have never heard of this.

Sounds like a knot. Some don't hurt.
You say you can't feel anything, right?
I would ask a friend to touch the are
and see if he/she feels it. If no one but
her feels it...maybe it's her, who knows.
If others feel it, I would go to the doctor.

Yeah, no pain, and I can't really feel what she's feeling myself. I might just go to the doctor for peace of mind.

Usually, if something's wrong with your kidney, it'll hurt a lot. But it never hurts to get it checked up on--maybe mention it the next time you go to the doctor?

I asked my mom to feel around there and she couldn't feel anything.

My sister had horrible back pain, and went to get that checked...turns out she has a large kidney stone she did not know about...but she was hurting...

Never hurts to have it checked out next time you are at the doctor...

I guess I'm just trying to decide if I should make a doctor appt specifically for this. Aside from my yearly OB visit, I don't ever go to the doctor unless there's a reason. I do need to get a refill on migraine meds eventually so maybe I'll just go. I have known people with kidney stones and they always had a good deal of pain and I have none, so I'm hoping that means it's nothing.

If it's a kidney stone, most likely you will know it.

I've had 3 episodes, each one amounting to unbearable pain that led me to the ER...even morphine and dilaudid didn't help. Had to have surgery the last episode.

Actually it's a super-common misconception, but your kidneys are not in your low back - they're up high just under where your bra strap rests where they're protected by your ribs.

Kidney stones and infections will often cause pain in your low back as well. Still - I wouldn't go running to your doctor just because your massage therapist felt muscular tightness where she thought your kidney was (and was wrong) - not if you aren't having pain, blood in your urine or symptoms that are bothering YOU.

I would get it checked out just to be on the safe side. My younger sister had the same type of thing happen a few years ago and when she went to the doctor they found something (I can't remember but can def get in touch with her if you're curious) that wasn't a big deal, but they "handled" it and the tightness and occasional pain she had with it disappeared. Good luck and keep us posted!

Originally Posted by bipolarbear

Actually it's a super-common misconception, but your kidneys are not in your low back - they're up high just under where your bra strap rests where they're protected by your ribs. Kidney stones and infections will often cause pain in your low back as well. Still - I wouldn't go running to your doctor just because your massage therapist felt muscular tightness where she thought your kidney was (and was wrong) - not if you aren't having pain, blood in your urine or symptoms that are bothering YOU.

The info in this post is correct, and I agree that you shouldn't worry about rushing to the doc unless you are having symptoms of some kind.

I forgot I had even posted this! I ended up going to the doctor for something else and asking him about it. He felt the area, said he could feel what I was talking about, but that it was just simply more muscle built up there for some reason and that maybe I sit in a certain way or stand a certain way that my body compensates by building more muscle on that side. He even showed me on a diagram that there are no organs where it was and that it wasn't a problem. So all is good!

Great news!

DH had a kidney stone - believe me you'd know it if that was the problem. glad you went to your doctor anyway! that is great news.