A sore penis is not high on the list of things a guy wants to achieve, but at least sometimes – such as when that soreness is due to overuse in sexual situations – a guy has fun and pleasure engaging in the activities that create the sore penis. Other times, however, a sore penis is due to a penis health issue, and that’s not good. And sometimes the cause of the sore penis originates far away from the organ itself, in another part of the body. Case in point: kidney stones.

Ouch!

As many men can tell you, kidney stones are no fun. Some people have said they give a man a good idea of what childbirth is like, and while that is undoubtedly a gross exaggeration, the fact is that some kidney stones can indeed be extremely painful and cause enormous discomfort in a man.

So what is a kidney stone, exactly? Known among doctors as renal lithiasis or nephrolithiasis, kidney stones are hard formations made up of minerals and salts that come together inside the kidneys. They tend to occur when urine becomes concentrated, which can happen when a person doesn’t drink enough water or sweats too much. (This can occur more often during hot weather, so staying hydrated – always important – becomes even more so in the summer.) They also occur when one’s diet provides too much of certain ingredients; for example, many kidney stones form due to an excess of oxalate. Others are created primarily from too much salt and still others from too much acidic food.

In the tract

Many people have tiny kidney stones and pass them from the kidneys through the urinary tract and out the urethra without being aware they are even there. But when kidney stones are large enough, they can get stuck somewhere along the urinary tract, causing extreme pain. Often, they get lodged in the urethra, causing a very sore penis.

Common symptoms associated with kidney stones are:

- Extreme pain in the lower back, stomach, and/or penis. The pain often gets intense, and then it subsides for a while and then returns, over and over. There may also be pain when urinating, creating a sore penis.

- Nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting could, signal the presence of kidney stones.

- Unusual look to the urine – cloudy, brownish, or reddish. It may often have an unpleasant smell. A man may also need to urinate more frequently and may often pass smaller amounts of urine than usual.

Treatment

There are several ways that kidney stones can be treated. Often, especially with milder cases, the person is required to significantly increase his intake of water. This can help break apart the stone and flush it out of the system. A mild pain reliever (often an over-the-counter medication) may be used to help ease pain and soreness. In some cases, an alpha blocker may be used to help the stone on its journey.

For large and/or more stubborn stones, there are other treatments that can be tried, such as using sound waves to break the stone down, or using a scope to locate and break up the stone.

Kidney stones can indeed cause a very, very sore penis. At the appropriate time, a man may want to employ a top-notch penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) to help soothe that soreness. Gently applying a crème that contains a combination of moisturizing ingredients, such as shea butter and vitamin E, can help a penis feel less pained. It also may help to find a crème with L-carnitine. This amino acid helps protect penis sensitivity and sensation, and so may be helpful in maintaining proper feel in the penis as the soreness ebbs.