When to Go to the ER for Kidney Stones: What Every Parent Needs to Know
You know this feeling. Your child is doubled over in pain, clutching their side or back, crying that it hurts to pee. Maybe they’ve been vomiting. Maybe there’s blood in their urine. You’ve heard about kidney stones, but you always thought that was an adult problem. Now you’re searching “when to go to ER for kidney stones” because the pain is getting worse and you don’t know what to do.
Stop. Before you wait it out or drive to urgent care, you need to know something that could change everything about the next few hours.
Here’s what most parents don’t realize: Kidney stones are becoming increasingly common in children, and they can cause the same agonizing pain adults experience—sometimes worse, because kids can’t always describe what’s happening. A kidney stone alone is painful. But a kidney stone with fever means possible infection, and an infected, obstructing kidney stone is a medical emergency that can lead to sepsis. If your child has severe flank or abdominal pain with fever, blood in urine, vomiting, or inability to urinate, you need an ER with CT imaging, IV pain medication, and labs—not an urgent care with limited tools.
Urgent Care vs. ER for Kidney Stones: What’s the Actual Difference?
This isn’t about what sign is on the building. It’s about what’s inside the building—and whether they can actually diagnose your child’s kidney stone, manage the pain, and catch dangerous complications. If your child has severe back pain, knowing the difference between urgent care and ER capabilities is critical.
Emergency physicians use something called the Pediatric Assessment Triangle to evaluate children in under 30 seconds. You can use the same approach at home.
A — Appearance: Is your child alert and responsive? Look for eye contact, normal crying with tears, and good muscle tone. Warning signs: limp or floppy body, won’t make eye contact, unusually quiet or inconsolable.
B — Breathing: Is breathing quiet and effortless? Can they speak in full sentences? Warning signs: visible rib movement with each breath, nasal flaring, grunting sounds, can only speak one or two words at a time.
C — Circulation: Is skin color normal? Are hands and feet warm? Warning signs: pale or gray skin, blue lips or fingertips, blotchy appearance, cold extremities.
If all three look normal, your child is likely stable—a clinic visit may be appropriate for mild symptoms. If any one of these looks abnormal, or if pain is severe and uncontrolled, seek emergency care immediately. A CT scan is the gold standard for diagnosing kidney stones—and only an ER can provide one.
Urgent care does not have CT scanners to confirm kidney stone diagnosis, measure stone size, or identify obstruction. They cannot provide IV pain medication for the severe, colicky pain kidney stones cause. They cannot run labs to check kidney function or identify infection. And they often close by 9 or 10 PM—while kidney stone pain frequently peaks overnight. If your child’s pain is severe, if there’s fever, or if there’s blood in the urine, urgent care will just send you to the ER anyway. Every Priority ER location has on-site CT, full labs, and IV pain management—truly open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
When Urgent Care is Totally Fine
Not everything is an emergency. Urgent care exists for a reason, and it can handle plenty of common childhood issues without the full power of an ER. Save yourself time and money when the situation calls for it. Learn more about how to determine what a true emergency is.
Conditions Appropriate for Urgent Care / Clinic
Stable vital signs • Alert and responsive • No respiratory distress
The key word is mild. When symptoms are manageable and your child is alert, drinking fluids, and responsive—a clinic during daytime hours may be fine for mild discomfort. But kidney stone pain is rarely mild. When the pain is severe, comes in waves, or is accompanied by fever, vomiting, or blood in the urine, that’s when you need emergency-level care with CT imaging and IV pain management.
When Your Child Needs the ER Right Now
Parents know. There’s a difference between “it hurts a little” and “something’s really wrong.” Trust that instinct. Here’s what our pediatric emergency team says warrants immediate ER care for kidney stones:
Emergency
Severe Flank or Back Pain
Intense, wave-like pain in the side or back that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter pain relievers. Kidney stone pain is often described as the worst pain imaginable—don’t wait.
Emergency
Fever with Kidney Stone Symptoms
Fever or chills with kidney stone pain indicates possible infection. An infected, obstructing kidney stone can lead to sepsis—this is a true medical emergency requiring immediate IV antibiotics.
Emergency
Blood in Urine with Severe Pain
Visible blood in the urine (pink, red, or brown) combined with severe pain. CT imaging is needed to identify stone size, location, and any blockage.
Emergency
Persistent Vomiting or Can’t Urinate
Vomiting that prevents keeping fluids or medication down leads to dehydration. Inability to urinate may indicate complete blockage—both require IV fluids and immediate evaluation.
Priority ER offers abdominal CT imaging to diagnose kidney stones quickly and accurately, measuring stone size and identifying any dangerous obstruction.
Trust Your Parental Instincts
If your child has severe side or back pain, is screaming in agony, has blood in their urine, or has a fever with these symptoms—go to the ER. Kidney stones with fever can become a life-threatening emergency. Don’t wait for urgent care to tell you they can’t help. Parents know their children better than anyone.
Built for Reliability When It Matters Most
When your child is in severe pain and you need to know if it’s a kidney stone, you need certainty—not “maybe” or “we’ll see.” Here’s what makes Priority ER different:
The Difference When Kidney Stone Pain Strikes
Urgent Care
No CT Scan
No imaging, no IV pain relief, no labs
Priority ER
Full ER
CT imaging, IV pain relief, labs—in minutes
CT Scans
On-site, results in minutes
Full Lab
No waiting for off-site results
Real ER
Board-certified ER physicians
CT scan to confirm the stone. IV to control the pain.
Answers and relief—without the hospital chaos.
What to Expect When You Arrive
Knowing what happens next can help both you and your child feel calmer. Here’s how a Priority ER visit typically unfolds:
Your Priority ER Visit
From arrival to answers
0-2 minutes
2-5 minutes
5-10 minutes
10-30 minutes
30-60 minutes
Immediate Greeting (0-2 min)
You’re greeted the moment you walk in. No clipboard, no waiting for someone to notice you.
Private Room (2-5 min)
Your child goes straight to a private treatment room. Family stays together.
Physician Exam (5-10 min)
A board-certified ER doctor examines your child and explains what’s next.
Testing (10-30 min)
Any needed labs, imaging, or tests—all done on-site with fast results.
Answers & Treatment (30-60 min)
Diagnosis explained, treatment provided, discharge instructions given. You leave with answers.
Compare that to a typical hospital ER: wait for triage, wait for a room, wait for a doctor, wait for lab results, wait for imaging results… You could spend 4-6 hours for the same care that takes under an hour at Priority ER.²
When Kidney Stone Pain Can’t Wait
Board-certified emergency physicians. Pediatric expertise. CT scans, IV pain management, and full lab on-site. Zero wait time. This is what real pediatric emergency care looks like.
Priority ER Locations
All locations are equipped with pediatric emergency capabilities and staffed by board-certified emergency physicians.
🌵 Odessa (West Texas)
3800 E 42nd St, Suite 105
Odessa, TX 79762
Serving Odessa, Midland, Gardendale, Greenwood & the Permian Basin
🏛 Round Rock (Austin Area)
1700 Round Rock Ave
Round Rock, TX 78681
Serving Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown & North Austin
⭐ McKinney (North Dallas)
5000 Eldorado Pkwy
McKinney, TX 75072
Serving McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Prosper & Collin County
🏙 Pantego (Arlington)
1607 S Bowen Rd
Pantego, TX 76013
Serving Arlington, Pantego, Grand Prairie & Mid-Cities DFW
🌊 Rockwall (East Dallas)
2265 N Lakeshore Dr #100
Rockwall, TX 75087
Serving Rockwall, Heath, Rowlett, Fate & Lake Ray Hubbard area
The Bottom Line for Parents
When you’re searching “when to go to ER for kidney stones” because your child is in severe pain, here’s what you need to know: go to the ER if the pain is severe and uncontrolled, if there’s fever or chills, if there’s blood in the urine, if your child is vomiting and can’t keep fluids down, or if they can’t urinate. A kidney stone with fever is especially dangerous—it can mean infection that leads to sepsis without prompt treatment. Find a 24-hour ER near you at Priority ER.
Know the difference: mild discomfort may be manageable with a doctor visit. Severe kidney stone symptoms need an ER with real diagnostic power. And Priority ER gives you full emergency room capabilities—pediatric expertise, advanced imaging, on-site labs—without the chaos and wait times of a hospital ER.
When your instincts say your child’s pain is serious, trust them. And come to a place that can confirm the stone, control the pain, and catch any complications—any time, day or night.
Medical References
- American College of Emergency Physicians. (2024). “Emergency Management of Nephrolithiasis.” ACEP Clinical Practice Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.acep.org/
- Texas Department of State Health Services. (2024). “Emergency Department Utilization for Urologic Conditions in Texas.” Regional Health Report. Retrieved from https://www.dshs.texas.gov/
- Priority ER Internal Data. (2024). “Annual Patient Outcomes and Emergency Care Statistics.” Quality Assurance Report.
- American College of Radiology. (2024). “CT Imaging Standards for Nephrolithiasis Evaluation.” ACR Technical Standards. Retrieved from https://www.acr.org/
- American College of Emergency Physicians. (2024). “Pediatric Kidney Stone Management in Emergency Settings.” ACEP Clinical Policies. Retrieved from https://www.acep.org/
- National Emergency Medicine Association. (2024). “Rising Incidence of Pediatric Nephrolithiasis and Emergency Department Management.” Journal of Emergency Medicine, 48(9), 542-549.
- Mayo Clinic. (2024). “Kidney Stones in Children: Diagnosis and Emergency Treatment.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. (2024). “Emergency Department Visits for Kidney Stones.” HCUP Statistical Brief #182. Retrieved from https://hcup-us.ahrq.gov/
- American Urological Association. (2024). “Guidelines for Management of Ureteral Calculi.” AUA Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.auanet.org/