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The kidneys are a pair of organs found along the posterior muscular wall of the abdominal cavity. They are surrounded by skeletal muscles, which protect them from physical injury. The kidneys themselves are not muscles, but they are surrounded by and related to several muscles, including the psoas (medially), the quadratus lumborum (laterally), and the diaphragm. The diaphragm covers the superior half of each kidney, which is why the kidneys move up and down during respiration. The kidneys also contain smooth muscle cells, which are believed to be responsible for initiating ureteric peristalsis.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Do kidneys have muscle? | The kidneys themselves do not have muscle, but they are surrounded and protected by various muscles, including the diaphragm, psoas major, quadratus lumborum, and transversus abdominis muscles. The kidneys are also protected by the ribs and muscles of the back. |
| Location of kidneys | The kidneys are a pair of organs found along the posterior muscular wall of the abdominal cavity, with the left kidney typically positioned slightly higher than the right kidney due to the larger size of the liver on the right side of the body. |
| Muscles and kidney protection | Skeletal muscles have been found to protect the kidneys from physical injury and may also play a role in maintaining renal function in chronic kidney disease. |
| Muscles and kidney health | Exercise and maintaining muscle mass have been suggested to have a positive impact on kidney health and may help retard renal deterioration. |
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What You'll Learn
The kidneys are protected by skeletal muscles
Skeletal muscles protect our internal organs, such as the kidneys, from physical injury. This is an important function as physical injury to the kidneys can lead to kidney damage.
Hanatani et al. describe the cross-talk between skeletal muscles and kidneys in mice, concluding that muscles regulate inflammation and fibrosis within kidneys to protect renal function. They found that skeletal muscle growth attenuates renal damage in experimental kidney disease.
In their study, Hanatani and colleagues generated a skeletal muscle–specific inducible Akt1 transgenic animal to emulate the effect of muscle exercise. The Akt1 transgenic animals exhibited reduced renal tubular atrophy, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and apoptosis of epithelial cells and inflammatory cells within obstructed kidney (a model of CKD) despite normal cardiovascular parameters. This suggests that the renoprotection was due to the muscles, not the cardiovascular system.
Furthermore, an increase in renoprotective cytokines in serum, such as interleukins 2 and 10, and a reduction in renal-damaging cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α) and adiponectin, was noted in Akt1 animals. This demonstrates that skeletal muscles impart renal protection through several mechanisms, including altering the secreted cytokines in serum, collectively called “secretome”, increasing eNOS, and inhibiting TGF-β.
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Muscles can cause or prevent kidney damage
While the kidneys themselves do not contain muscle tissue, the muscles can indeed have both detrimental and beneficial effects on kidney health.
How muscles can cause kidney damage
Rhabdomyolysis, a condition that causes muscles to break down and release toxic muscle fibres into the bloodstream, often leads to kidney damage. This is because the kidneys are responsible for removing these toxic muscle components from the blood. However, if the muscle fibres are released in large quantities, the kidneys may be unable to filter them out fast enough, leading to kidney failure. Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by overexertion, trauma, medications, or underlying health conditions. It is more common in endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, and those who work in hot environments.
How muscles can prevent kidney damage
On the other hand, skeletal muscles can also protect the kidneys from physical injury. Studies have shown that muscle exercise has a renoprotective effect, reducing renal tubular atrophy, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and apoptosis of epithelial cells and inflammatory cells within the kidneys. This protective effect is attributed to the increase in renoprotective cytokines, such as interleukins, and the reduction of renal-damaging cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Maintaining muscle mass through exercise could, therefore, help to slow down renal deterioration.
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The kidneys are located near several muscles
The kidneys are a pair of organs found along the posterior muscular wall of the abdominal cavity. They are located near several muscles that serve to protect them from physical injury. The superior half of each kidney is covered by the diaphragm, which is why the kidneys move up and down during respiration. The diaphragm is a muscle that plays a crucial role in breathing by contracting and relaxing to allow air to move in and out of the lungs.
The kidneys sit over the psoas muscle (medially) and the quadratus lumborum muscle (laterally). The psoas muscle is located in the lower back and hip area, while the quadratus lumborum is a deep abdominal muscle that connects to the lumbar spine and hips. The ureter, which is the tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, may also cross over the psoas muscle.
Additionally, the inferior half of the kidneys have muscular relations that can be remembered by dividing the kidney surface into three vertical stripes. The medial stripe represents the impression of the psoas major muscle, the central stripe represents the quadratus lumborum, and the lateral stripe represents the transversus abdominis muscle. The transversus abdominis muscle is a thin, flat muscle that makes up part of the abdominal wall and helps to stabilize the trunk and pelvis.
While the kidneys themselves do not contain muscle tissue, they are surrounded and protected by various muscles in the body. These muscles work together to ensure the kidneys are protected from external damage and can function properly.
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The kidneys are surrounded by a layer of fat
The kidneys are the primary organs of the urinary system. They are responsible for filtering the blood, removing waste, and excreting urine. The kidneys are located between the twelfth thoracic and third lumbar vertebrae, one on each side of the vertebral column. They are relatively small, roughly bean-shaped, and about the size of a clenched fist.
The kidneys are surrounded and protected by several layers of tissue. The outermost layer is called the renal capsule, a tough, fibrous, connective tissue that envelops each kidney and provides support for the soft tissue inside. The renal capsule consists of three layers of connective tissue or fat, with the outer layer being where the nephrons (blood-filtering units) begin.
Beyond the renal capsule, there are two layers of fat that serve as further protection for the kidneys. The first is a thick layer of adipose tissue called perirenal fat, which helps to cushion and safeguard the kidneys from physical injury. The second layer of fat is the adrenal glands, which lie on top of the kidneys.
While the kidneys themselves do not contain muscle tissue, skeletal muscles play an important role in protecting the kidneys from harm. Studies have shown that skeletal muscle growth can help to attenuate renal damage in experimental kidney disease. Additionally, maintaining muscle mass through exercise has been suggested to retard renal deterioration.
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The kidneys filter waste products from muscle contraction
The kidneys are vital organs that perform a range of functions to maintain the body's overall health. Located in the abdominal and pelvic region, just below the rib cage, they work tirelessly to filter and remove waste products from the blood. This waste includes muscle waste, specifically creatinine, which is produced during muscle contraction.
Creatinine is a waste product generated by muscle metabolism and is released into the bloodstream. The kidneys play a crucial role in eliminating creatinine from the body, preventing its buildup, and maintaining healthy muscle function. During muscle contraction, as the muscles work harder, they produce more creatinine, increasing the workload on the kidneys.
The kidneys' filtration process is intricate and highly efficient. Each kidney contains over a million filtering units called nephrons. These nephrons consist of glomeruli, which are clusters of tiny blood vessels that initiate the filtration process. The glomeruli filter the blood, removing waste products like creatinine, and then pass the filtered substances to the renal tubules.
The renal tubules are another critical component of the nephrons. They help remove excess acid from the blood and play a key role in maintaining the body's acid-base balance. The tubules also reabsorb essential water, nutrients, and minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, while sending the remaining waste through the kidneys' collecting chambers. This waste eventually leaves the body as urine.
It is important to note that maintaining kidney health is crucial. Conditions like rhabdomyolysis, which is the breakdown of muscle tissue, can lead to the release of harmful muscle fiber contents into the blood, causing kidney damage. Regular exercise, staying hydrated, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help protect kidney function and ensure the efficient removal of waste products from muscle contraction.
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Frequently asked questions
The kidneys themselves are not muscles, but they are surrounded by several muscles that protect them from external damage. The superior half of each kidney is covered by the diaphragm, and the inferior half is covered by the psoas major muscle, the quadratus lumborum, and the transversus abdominis muscle.
The primary function of the kidneys is to filter waste products from protein metabolism and muscle contraction out of the bloodstream, allowing them to be excreted from the body in urine.
Skeletal muscles have been found to protect the kidneys from physical injury and renal damage. Maintaining muscle mass through exercise has been shown to retard renal deterioration.
