How to recognize kidney injuries in young athletes

A large portion of today’s youth participate in sports and athletic activities and the number grows by the day. Engaging in these activities guarantee both health and social benefits. However, it is vital for an individual to recognize and diagnose injuries of any form caused by these activities, be it in themselves or their children.  The following article focuses on recognized kidney injuries caused by athletics and how to treat the same.

Kidneys are one of the most commonly injured organs in the urinary tract. This combined with the effects of blunt force from contact or high-intensity sports could result in injuries in this organ. Sports such as American football, wrestling, boxing, ice hockey are all high-intensity activities and are hence more likely to result in kidney injuries.

According to MSD Manual, kidney injuries range from minor (bruising) to severe (laceration or torn attachment of the kidney) and each of these has an appropriate level of treatment.

Symptoms To Look For

The following are commonly reported symptoms observed among patients with an injured kidney,

• Abdominal Pain – Left or right flank pain radiating to back. The flank area of the body refers to the upper abdomen as well as the back and sides. Flashes of pain in this region act as a good warning bell of trouble in the kidneys.
• The area around the kidney feels tender and can hurt with simple touches.
• Urine contains blood – this may be visible (Gross hematuria) or can only be seen with a microscope (microscopic hematuria) and will hence require testing for detection if the other symptoms point to a kidney injury.
• Discoloration of the abdomen – Areas around the belly and kidneys may turn blue and appear bruised
• Nausea, vomiting accompanied by dizziness and cold sweaty skin could indicate that the body is going into shock due to severe damage and requires immediate treatment.

Diagnosis and Treatment

If two or more of the above symptoms match your own, admit yourself to a hospital for immediate diagnosis and treatment. The chances of internal bleeding are high if you are experiencing a high pulse rate and dizziness. At the hospital, staff will conduct several tests such as blood tests to check for internal bleeding and CT scans to determine the origin of the blood in the urine. Further, for the more severe cases of kidney injuries, the hospital will initiate procedures such as the tomography. Tomography is a technique to view the cross-section of an organ through X-ray or ultrasound. In this case, the technique focuses on the kidney and its surrounding regions to detect damage and its severity.

Surgery is unavoidable if any of the scans detect internal bleeding. Minor injuries simply require control of fluid intake and rest and the hospital is likely to discharge such patients the very same day.

Aftercare

Consumption of marijuana for medical purposes is becoming increasingly popular. Apart from rest and controlled food and fluid intake, high quality CBD oil acts as a great pain reliever and a wide number of patients testify to this fact, especially after surgery. Common chemical substances used as painkillers contain components that are toxic to the kidneys whereas CBD oil has reported positive effects. The neurochemical components in marijuana activate the receptors CB1 and CB2, present in the kidneys and various other organs. According to the same study, the simulation of these receptors provides beneficial effects on the kidney.

In an aim to bring down pain and give the body sufficient time to heal, you can also ingest cannabinoids in other forms. You can also buy Ontario cannabis online making for a much more convenient way of obtaining the dosage you require.

While it is handy to know how to immediately detect and treat kidney injuries caused by sports, the chances of such an occurrence are much lower than the chances of a head or limb injury. A study found that the rate of kidney injury was much lower than sport specific injuries of the head and spine in all sports. Another study went on to state that there was hardly any risk of individuals with one kidney to play contact sports, implying that the probability of a kidney injury is very low.

In conclusion, the probability of injuring your kidney while performing athletic activities is not significantly high but it does not hurt to know how to deal with such injuries if they ever do occur. In addition, always wear protective gear and work with a trained coach to ensure your safety.