I am having a lot of sharp back pain around the kidney area - in my side back just below my ribs. It s sharper pain when I bend my torso sideways or when I try to straight up or arch my back, like there is painful catch. Sometimes I feel a little pain in my abdomen to the front of the back pain as well. This is all on the right side. This started yesterday evening, and has continued today intermittently but persistently. The pain has not increased substantially since the beginning, but it does sharpen sometimes. It doesn t feel muscle-related like a muscle pull, but more internal. I ve tried drinking more water today in hopes of flushing it out if it was kidney-related. My question is: Does this sound like a kidney infection, a kidney stone, or something else, and what signals should prompt me to get further attention?