Definition

Noun: * Renal colic: A specific type of severe, cramping pain caused by a kidney stone (renal calculus) moving through or blocking the urinary tract (ureter). The pain typically originates in the lower back or side and radiates (spreads) to the lower abdomen and groin.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient was admitted to the emergency room suffering from excruciating renal colic.
  • Renal colic is often described as one of the most intense pains a person can experience.
  • The sudden onset of renal colic prompted him to seek immediate medical attention.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in a medical context to describe the rather than just the pain itself, implying the underlying cause (a kidney stone).
  • The diagnosis of renal colic was confirmed by a CT scan showing a stone in the ureter.

Variants and Related Words

• Colic (n): A general term for severe, often fluctuating pain in the abdomen caused by the contraction of smooth muscle in an organ. Renal colic is a specific type of colic.
• Nephrolithiasis (n): The medical term for the condition of having kidney stones, which is the cause of renal colic.
• Ureteric colic (n): A synonym often used interchangeably with renal colic, emphasizing the stone's location in the ureter.

Synonyms

• Kidney stone pain
• Ureteric colic
• Loin pain (in a specific medical context)

Antonyms

• There is no direct antonym for this specific medical condition. General opposites could include:
  • Comfort
  • Absence of pain
  • Renal well-being

Related Phrases

• Passage of a stone: Refers to the process of a kidney stone moving through the urinary system, which causes the colic.
  • The renal colic subsided after the passage of the stone.
• Flank pain radiating to the groin: A descriptive phrase for the classic symptom pattern of renal colic.

Noun

1. sharp pain in the lower back that radiates into the groin; associated with the passage of a renal calculus through the ureter