When I was diagnosed with a kidney stone, one of my first questions was can you workout with kidney stones? As someone who works out 4-5 days a week, the thought of not being able to go to the gym frustrated me.
Let’s talk about kidney stones for a second. Kidney stones are hard, mineral and salt deposits that form inside your kidneys. According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the main causes are being overweight, diet, certain medical conditions, and some supplements/drugs.
With that being said, there are no confirmed factors on what exactly causes kidney stones. It could be a combination of factors, or just good old fashioned bad luck.
Depending on where you live, the mineral deposits in your local water source can be a major contributing factor to forming kidney stones. According to the doctor I spoke with, the rate of kidney stone diagnosis in my area is significantly higher than the country average.
Now that we know what a kidney stone is, what can we do about working out with kidney stones?
What is your pain level?
My doctor told me that mothers have told him before that they would rather go through birth again than pass a kidney stone.
With that being known, if you are not experiencing this type of pain, I think it is safe to say, you have the green light to workout. Really, this is up to you. While having a kidney stone absolutely sucks, and it will be painful during passing, it might not be painful right now.
Don’t be afraid to continue your routine as planned.
Listen to your body, and if you are experiencing pain severe enough to where you might have some issues, then don’t workout.
Are you on medication?
This is one of the main determining factors about knowing whether or not you can workout with kidney stones.
My doctor did prescribe me some pain medications, but I never took them because I get nauseous when I take them. I think it is safe to say that if you are on any mind or muscle affecting drugs, you should avoid going to the gym. Especially if you plan on lifting heavy weights.
Imagine being on pain meds and trying to bench press. I think that is a terrible idea. Again, if you are on any medications, make the right decision here.
There are some medications that are beneficial to helping a kidney stone pass as comfortably as possible. The most well known of these kidney stone dissolving vitamins is Stone Relief Kidney Stone Breaker.
Drink a ton of water
If you are reading this article, you have probably already been diagnosed with a kidney stone. Your doctor probably told you to drink a ton of water already.
I am here to tell you to take how much water you think you should drink, and double that.
What I did was I went to the store and bought 3 half-gallon jugs of water. I then set those jugs on top of my counter. As soon as I woke up, I would fill my 30 oz Yeti Rambler up to the top and immediately start drinking. If I don’t finish the first half gallon before lunch, I would start drinking faster.
Hydration is one of the most important things when passing kidney stones. The more water you have in your system, the more pressure there will be in your system to push out the stone.
I don’t know about you, but when I am fully hydrated, I feel a lot better going to the gym.
Light cardio might help the passing of the kidney stone
Kidney stones have a mind of their own. They are not a perfectly round stone like we imagine in our mind when we think of a stone. They have jagged edgers, and are irregular in their shape.
With that being said, doing a little bit of cardio might be a great idea for helping dislodge the kidney stone from its current position. Let’s not get too intense here though. We don’t want to do any high intensity interval training. Just your normal, jog, bike ride, elliptical, or other low intensity cardio will suffice.
Main Point – Can you workout with kidney stones?
The simple answer is yes, you can workout with kidney stones. In fact, it might actually be beneficial to workout with kidney stones. Remember to only push yourself as hard as your body will let you. If you are in extreme pain, you probably shouldn’t be in the gym.
Should you lift if you have kidney stones? When you are thinking about how much weight you should lift, your decision making should be the same as any other workout. Let your body tell you how much you can lift. I really do not recommend going too hard with the heavy weights. You don’t want to inflame your kidney and maybe make your situation worse.
Speaking of lifting, if you have ever thought about setting up your own home gym, you might be interested in 20 of the Best Exercise Equipment Amazon Has to Offer.
If you are looking to put on muscle or burn fat, we also recommend that you check out our app, All Workouts: Personal Trainer. Link below.
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