Getting Kidney Stones is an experience most people never want to encounter again. Kidney stones cause an excruciating pain that often starts in your back just below your ribs, and can travel around to the abdomen and down to the groin area. For most people, the pain from kidney stones will bring you to your knees if you're standing, and put you in bed for a time.

Now, the cases of people getting kidney stones has increased over the past 30 years. Some people theorize this is due to changes in eating habits, but it could also be attributed at least in part to advances in medical science. Many kidney stones are discovered when you're getting tests - such as an xray or sonogram - that might be for something else. Sometimes those tests are run though, because people complain of having pain or having blood in their urine.

Many people actually get kidney stones and never know it though, because the stones are quite small and pass through the urine without any pain or discomfort. When kidney stones become a problem, it's because the stones got large enough that you can feel them when they try to travel through the narrow tubes which connect the kidneys to the bladder.

The kidneys are the organs in the human body which create urine. These organs are usually located just under the ribs in the back, and they filter various wastes and extra water from the blood, converting it to urine for disposal. The kidneys also keep a balance of salt and other important substances in our blood, help us build strong bones, and help form red blood cells.

The kidneys are connected to the bladder by small tubes known as ureters. And these tend to be the source of pain when someone has a kidney stone. Since the ureters are quite narrow, if a kidney stone develops large enough, then tries to pass through these narrow tubes to the bladder, it can hurt. A lot.

The cause of kidney stones can vary widely. Heredity is a primary factor for many people: If anyone in your family has a history of kidney stones, then you have an increased chance of getting them too.

The risks of getting kidney stones rises if you have any kidney diseases or problems in your own or your family history. And most people are prone to getting kidney stones if they've had them at least once.

Having chronic urinary tract infections can also cause kidney stones, as can certain metabolic disorders and rare hereditary diseases

Some types of kidney stones can be developed by the foods you eat, or because you're not drinking enough water. In fact, kidney stones can develop when you're dehydrated, because there isn't enough fluid to dilute the substances which can make the stones form. A type of kidney stone known as uric acid stones can develop if you consume too much protein, and calcium stones - which are the most common kind of kidney stone - can develop from getting too much calcium, particularly in the form of vitamin d or calcium supplements.

There are also certain types of medications which can make you more prone to developing kidney stones, and kidney stones are more common in men than they are in women.