How Painful Do Kidney Stones Need to Be Before You Should Go to the Emergency Room?

There's No Pain Score That Decides It

Healthdirect's kidney stones page gives two levels of advice. For symptoms of renal colic, see your doctor as soon as possible. For very severe pain, head to the nearest emergency department.

Notice the wording. It says "very severe", not "seven out of ten". Pain is personal, and one person's manageable bout is another person's collapse on the bathroom floor.

The same page lists the Healthdirect helpline, 1800 022 222, where a registered nurse is available 24 hours a day. In Victoria, it's known as NURSE-ON-CALL.

A sick leave certificate comes later, once you've had the right care. For the condition itself, see the medical certificate for kidney stones page.

What the Pain Usually Feels Like

Healthdirect describes severe pain in one side of the back or side, or in the lower tummy or groin. It says the pain can come and go. Kidney Health Australia calls it a gripping pain in the back, just below the ribs, and says pain is usually the first sign.

That helps separate a stone from a pulled muscle, but it doesn't settle anything on its own. Other conditions can cause back and tummy pain, which is why a doctor's assessment matters. A telehealth consult can't replace an in-person visit. Describe where the pain sits, how it behaves over a day, and what else you've noticed, so whoever sees you can decide what comes next.

A Fever Changes the Answer

With renal colic and signs of infection such as a fever, Healthdirect says to see a doctor or go to a hospital emergency department.

Healthdirect also notes that if kidney stones block your urinary system, you'll need hospital treatment. That's the kind of problem a phone consult can't manage.

Kidney Health Australia says a stone may need treatment if it blocks the flow of urine or causes bleeding or an infection. Healthdirect adds that a stone can damage a ureter and leave scarring. Those are outcomes doctors want to check for.

Say someone has had an aching side since morning. By evening, the ache has become a gripping pain; they feel sick, and they're shivering with a temperature. That last detail moves them from the second row of the table to the third.

Other Symptoms to Mention

Healthdirect lists nausea, vomiting, blood in your urine and needing to pass urine often or urgently as possible symptoms of kidney stones. It presents these as symptoms, not as emergency signs on their own.

They're still worth mentioning to whoever assesses you. Together with the pain pattern and any fever, they help a doctor judge how urgent your situation is.

What Happens After You've Been Seen

Doctors can check for stones with blood tests, urine tests, and imaging, which healthdirect says may include a CT scan, ultrasound, or X-ray. Treatment depends on the stone.

Kidney Health Australia says most stones pass on their own. If one does, pain relief may be the only treatment needed. Stones that don't pass on their own may need treatment from a urologist, such as laser treatment to break up the stone, per Healthdirect. Keep any paperwork you're given. A discharge summary or scan report tells a later GP the findings and the follow-up plan. That makes the next conversation shorter. It also gives the GP something concrete to weigh when you ask for dates off, instead of a description from memory.

Where a GP Consult Fits

A telehealth GP can't examine you, so a phone consult isn't the place to work out a new, severe pain. It fits once you've been assessed, or while you recover and can't yet work.

Expect questions about how often the pain comes back, your sleep and the tasks in your role. Consults start by phone. If the GP judges that seeing you would help, they move the call to video. For a patient under 18, a parent or guardian joins, by phone or video as the GP decides.

Telling Your Employer and Covering the Time

The Fair Work Ombudsman says employees need to tell their employer about sick leave promptly. Telling them once you're already off still counts. This matters if you were in hospital overnight. Employers can ask for evidence, and the Ombudsman lists a medical certificate or statutory declaration among the acceptable forms.

Your award, agreement or workplace policy may add detail. If you need a certificate for days you've already missed, the GP decides whether the assessment supports those dates.