The stones hurt because they move. They are not smooth and just slide. They have all sorts of points and crevices. When they move is when they hurt. Also when they block the urine flow. Even it it hurts like the dickens passing it can be better than having the doctor insert the old cable with the claw up there to retrieve it etc. It all depends on the size. Some are just too big to pass. For men the smallest stone it is like having a cabbage patch doll pass through.
My sister-in-law has had them. She had some sort of sonic therapy that broke them up so that she could pass them.
I read that about 80 percent of kidney stones are eliminated spontaneously during urination. In order to help pass them, patients are encouraged to drink large volumes of water. Although such stones are relatively small, often barely visible, the pain may be great. If blockage of the urinary tract occurs or a stone is too large to pass (they may become as big as a golf ball), medical treatment is needed to preserve the health of the patient.
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