Understanding The The Urinary System
The bodys urinary system is also called the renal system, and it is made up of several different organs.1-3 The urinary systems job is to filter out waste and extra water from the blood and remove it from the body in the form of urine. The major organs that make up the urinary system are:
- Two kidneys
- One urethra
Location Of Bladder In Children
Contrary to the general position in the pelvic region among human adults, the bladder has different location in children. That is, it has a bit higher place in abdominal cavity not only in infants, but also in young children. The same is the case even when it is empty and does not contain any traces of urinary excretions.
How Does Each Part Work
In the upper urinary tract, the two kidneys work separately to filter your blood by removing waste products and extra water that have entered your bloodstream, mainly through the process of digesting foods and drinks. Urine is made up of this filtered waste and water. The kidneys work constantly to filter your blood. As the kidneys produce urine, it is stored for a short time in the middle of each kidney, in a small area called the renal pelvis. The renal pelvis inside each kidney is connected to the bladder by a long, thin tube called a ureter. In adults, each ureter is about 12 inches long. The renal pelvis acts like a kind of funnel. It regularly tightens up and sends the urine that has collected in the renal pelvis through the ureter and down into the bladder.
In the lower urinary tract, the bladder is located in the pelvis, just behind the pubic bone. When the bladder is full of urine from the kidneys, you feel the urge to urinate. During urination, the muscles in the bladder tighten and allow urine to flow out of the body through another type of thin tube called the urethra.
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Its Okay To Improvise
Some dogs feel secure in a standing position, supported with your arms, and others prefer to lie on their side. No single position is correct as long as it doesnt endanger your pets health or cause anxiety.
Learning how to express your dogs bladder takes time. Be patient and kind to yourself while youre learning. Before you know it, youll be an expert.
What Causes Bladder Cancer
Smoking is the most important risk factor for bladder cancer. Other risk factors include
- Having a family history of bladder cancer.
- Having certain gene mutations .
- Being exposed to too much of certain workplace chemicals pdf icon used in processing paint, dye, metal, and petroleum products.
- Taking some kinds of chemotherapy drugs.
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The Upper And Lower Urinary Tracts
The urinary system has two parts: the upper urinary tract and the lower urinary tract. Together, the two kidneys and two ureters make up the upper urinary tract. The lower urinary tract contains the bladder and the urethra. Men and women have the same upper urinary tract, but their lower urinary tracts are different.
Bladder Stones And The Urinary Bladder Pain
The blockage of urine ultimately leads to acute urinary bladder pain, swelling, injury to the bladder walls and other severe symptoms. Three common treatment measures for the elimination of stones are: drug administration, radiations and surgical therapy. The inflammatory conditions of the urinary sac may arise out of the urinary bladder infections or injuries.
You can cure urinary bladder infection with medications. However, the treatment of urinary bladder cancer requires more advanced and sophisticated methods. The urinary incontinence leaves a tremendous impact on the quality of your life. It involves the involuntary leakage of urine that causes great embarrassment for the victim.
More common in human female than in males, the interstitial cystitis involves the diagnostic symptoms of severe pain and discomfort in the urinary bladder. Furthermore, it triggers urgent & frequent urination.
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What Is The Urinary Tract
The urinary tract is the bodys drainage system for removing urine, which is made up of wastes and extra fluid. For normal urination to occur, all body parts in the urinary tract need to work together, and in the correct order.
The urinary tract includes two kidneys, two ureters, a bladder, and a urethra.
Kidneys. Two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below your rib cage, one on each side of your spine. Every day, your kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood to remove wastes and balance fluids. This process produces about 1 to 2 quarts of urine per day.
Ureters. Thin tubes of muscle that connect your kidneys to your bladder and carry urine to the bladder.
Bladder. A hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ that expands as it fills with urine. The bladder sits in your pelvis between your hip bones. A normal bladder acts like a reservoir. It can hold 1.5 to 2 cups of urine. Although you do not control how your kidneys function, you can control when to empty your bladder. Bladder emptying is known as urination.
Urethra. A tube located at the bottom of the bladder that allows urine to exit the body during urination.
The urinary tract includes two sets of muscles that work together as a sphincter, closing off the urethra to keep urine in the bladder between your trips to the bathroom.
Where Your Liver Is Located
Your liver is located in the upper right-hand side of your abdomen and is protected by your ribs. The liver sits just above your stomach and below your lungs.
The location of the liver
Dr. Matthew Hoffman on WebMD says that your liver weighs about 3 pounds and you cant usually feel the liver. Your liver sits beside the pancreas, gallbladder, and intestines and these organs perform important functions to help the body digest, absorb, and process food.1
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Gallbladder Location And Pain
It is absolutely thrilling to learn about various organs of our body.
Though many organs are of common knowledge, certain organs stay away from the understanding of common folk.
Gallbladder is such an organ that stays hidden inside human body and in the minds of anatomists and doctors.
Gallbladder is a hollow organ which is pear-shaped, situated below the liver, on the right side . Its main function is to store bile that is produced from the liver. Bile helps in absorption of digested fat in food.
The structure itself is pear-shaped because, its fundus is wide and then it narrows in diameter gradually before reaching its infundibulum and neck .
The Layers Of The Bladder Wall
The bladder walls are mainly made up of muscle tissue, but the inside of the bladder is lined with two different types of tissue.1-3 The inside of the bladder is lined with a thin layer of cells, which is called the urothelium. Between this lining of cells and the muscles of the bladder is another very thin layer of tissue called the lamina propria. Most bladder cancers start in the cells of the bladder lining.
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Kidney Pain Vs Back Pain
Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between kidney pain and back pain. Some muscular problems in the back or other diseases can mimic kidney pain. Dr. Davis goes on to explain that pain that comes from your kidneys is usually accompanied by other symptoms. For example, you may notice changes in your urination or you may have a fever.3
Usually, back pain is distinguished from kidney pain because it may get better or worse when moving the back muscles. Unlike kidney stone pain which comes on in sharp, painful waves, back pain is more constant and connected with movement.
In general, flank or kidney pain is usually higher in the back just under the ribs and the pain sensation is deeper. Back pain that is muscular is usually in the lower back.
Over The Arm Or Sling Method:
Place your dog in an upright position while supporting the rear limbs.
Feel for the bladder at the midpoint of the lower belly.
Slip one hand for small dogs or one arm for large dogs under the lower belly for support.
Use your free hand to put pressure on the bladder and slowly pull your arm upward.
Put pressure on the bladder until a steady stream of urine flows.
When the stream becomes a dribble. Stop, wait 30 seconds and push again to be sure the bladder is empty.
Watch for a strong ammonia smell. It could mean a urinary tract infection is brewing.
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What Are The Parts Of The Urinary System
The kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra make up the urinary system. They all work together to filter, store and remove liquid waste from your body. Heres what each organ does:
- Kidneys: These organs work constantly. They filter your blood and make urine, which your body eliminates. You have two kidneys, one on either side of the back of your abdomen, just below your rib cage. Each kidney is about as big as your fist.
- Ureters: These two thin tubes inside your pelvis carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder.
- Bladder: Your bladder holds urine until youre ready to empty it . Its hollow, made of muscle, and shaped like a balloon. Your bladder expands as it fills up. Most bladders can hold up to 2 cups of urine.
- Urethra: This tube carries urine from your bladder out of your body. It ends in an opening to the outside of your body in the penis or in front of the vagina .
How Does The Bladder Store Urine
When it is empty, an adults bladder is about the size and shape of a pear. The bladder is very flexible, like a balloon, which means it can expand and get bigger when it is full of urine. In most adults, the bladder can expand to hold about one pint of urine before they feel the urge to urinate. When the bladder is empty after urinating, it shrinks back down to its empty size.
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Anatomy Of The Urinary Bladder
The empty urinary bladder is somewhat tetrahedral in shape like a three sided pyramid with a triangular base . This gives the bladder one superior surface , two inferolateral surfaces and a posterior surface . The external aspect of the superior surface of the bladder is covered by peritoneum.
The internal surface of the bladder is lined with mucosa, which is folded to form rugae. This makes the internal surface of the bladder rough except for the smooth area of the trigone. The bulk of the bladder wall is composed of the detrusor muscle. which is smooth muscle and therefore under involuntary control.
What The Liver Does
Your liver helps the body break down and digest food by producing bile. Doctors from Stanford Childrens Health say that bile from the liver breaks down fats from your food so that it can be digested properly and your body absorbs all the necessary nutrients.
One very important function of the liver is to keep your blood clean and free of toxins. The liver also creates nutrients for the body and provides proteins for blood plasma. Good liver health also helps to keep your immune system strong.2
Taking into consideration the important work your liver does, its important to keep your liver healthy. Before we look at ways to boost the health of your liver and keep it functioning properly, lets look at the main reasons for liver pain.
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Kidney Pain Location And Sensation
Most people tend to associate pain in the area between the ribs and hips as either digestive problems or muscular back pain. However, kidney pain isnt always felt in the same place as the kidneys location.
Dr. Charles Patrick Davis on MedicineNet explains that renal or flank pain can be felt anywhere between the lowest rib and the buttocks. The pain may also radiate to the groin or abdominal area. Depending on the underlying cause of the kidney pain, you may feel the pain in just the left or right side of your back. However, sometimes kidney pain affects both sides of the back.3
Where Is The Bladder Located In The Female Body Picture
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How Does The Urinary System Clean My Blood
Your kidneys are an essential part of filtering your blood. Heres how the urinary system works:
When To See A Doctor For Kidney Pain
Kidney pain that you feel in your middle back or that radiates to your abdomen or groin is usually an indicator of a serious health condition.
According to Dr. Charles Patrick Davis, you should visit your doctor promptly if you suspect kidney pain. Some of the warning signs of kidney disease or problems are:
- Sharp flank pain that comes on suddenly
- A dull, constant one-sided pain in your back or side
- Blood in your urine
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How Does Urination Occur
To urinate, your brain signals the sphincters to relax. Then it signals the muscular bladder wall to tighten, squeezing urine through the urethra and out of your bladder.
How often you need to urinate depends on how quickly your kidneys produce the urine that fills the bladder and how much urine your bladder can comfortably hold. The muscles of your bladder wall remain relaxed while the bladder fills with urine, and the sphincter muscles remain contracted to keep urine in the bladder. As your bladder fills up, signals sent to your brain tell you to find a toilet soon.
S Of The Urinary Bladder
The apex of the bladder points forward towards the pubic symphysis, while the base lies posteriorly, against the rectum in males or vagina in females. The neck of the bladder is the inferior aspect where the bladder walls narrow and converge towards the urethra like a funnel. This directs urine into the urethra.
The body of the bladder is the largest part lying between the apex, fundus and neck of the bladder. The trigone of the bladder is a triangle region on the posterior wall. The two ureteric orifices and internal urethral orifice mark the three points of the trigone. It has a slight elevation known as the uvula of the bladder.
The parts of the detrusor muscle towards the neck of the bladder form the internal urethral sphincter. Some fibers run around the neck for better bladder control. This sphincter closes during ejaculation to prevent backward flow of semen into the bladder in men. The internal urethral sphincter is under involuntary control. The external urethral sphincter which is under voluntary control is formed by the urogenital diaphragm.
- Vesical venous plexus > > internal iliac veins or into the internal vertebral venous plexus
- Males vesical plexus communicates with the prostatic plexus
- Females vesical plexus communicates with the vaginal/uterovaginal plexus
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Location Of Bladder Pain
Pain arising from the bladder itself is often described as a deep pain below the umbilicus , just above or in line with the pubic patch and lying in the midline. Depending on the cause, bladder pain may radiate to the external genitalia, like the penis and vulva , to the sides of the abdomen and even extending to the back. The bladder lies in line with the lower sacral vertebrae and pain referred to this area may present as lower back pain, at times without pain present elsewhere in the pelvis/lower abdomen.
Picture from Wikimedia Commons
Bladder pain may be vary in character and intensity, from a dull nagging ache to sharp, piercing pain. The pain may exacerbate when :
- bending forward
- bladder is full
- during urination
Bladder pain that radiates towards the upper abdomen, sometimes even under the lower ribs, may be due to an infection that has progressed up the ureters to the kidneys. This requires immediate medical attention. Refer to kidney pain location for more information.
How Does The Urinary System Work
The urinary system’s function is to filter blood and create urine as a waste by-product. The organs of the urinary system include the kidneys, renal pelvis, ureters, bladder and urethra.
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food components that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood.
The kidney and urinary systems help the body to eliminate liquid waste called urea, and to keep chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys, where it is removed along with water and other wastes in the form of urine.
Other important functions of the kidneys include blood pressure regulation and the production of erythropoietin, which controls red blood cell production in the bone marrow. Kidneys also regulate the acid-base balance and conserve fluids.
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