I took a spill on my bike last weekend and hit the right side of my body hard. Lots of bruises throughout my body. The area on my side right below my rib cage is very sore. Coincidentally, I have felt lightheaded recently after standing up. One time, yesterday I got so lightheaded that my knees gave out and I fell.

Can this recent lightheaded have anything to do my injuries? Can the pain I'm feeling on my side be a bruised kidney? Can the kidney be malfunctioning causing my blood sugar levels to be in disequilibria?

I would go and get checked out by a doctor to make sure everything is okay.

+1 - Right away!!!

Go get checked out. I took a spill a few years ago mountain biking and ended up with a bleeding kidney. Mine was minor but you can bleed quite a bit internally and not notice it until it's too late.

Go get checked out ... not worth the risk ...

Berardino

Go to the Doctor.

I fail to understand why you would post a complex medical question on Bike Forums.

Because it's a fast, free resource to ask a bunch of strangers a question online.

If everyone shouts at the OP to go to the doctor, then the OP knows he probably ought to.

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OP, the lightheaded symptom is most likely to be low-blood-pressure related (unless you hit your head during the spill). Are you on any diet, losing weight, eating differently, or on a new bicycling regimen.

The kidneys are well padded and protected, and if you had any serious damage in one, you would be seeing blood in your urine, or at least experience some urinary tract pain. Kidneys are not involved in maintaining blood sugar levels.

But you probably want to at least call a friend who's a doctor, or a high-level nurse, to get some better advice, if you don't have insurance.

The kidneys are not out where they can be easily injured in a bicycle fall unless you happen to fall onto some object that hits in just the right place, or maybe you break some ribs severely. They are pretty well-protected, generally-speaking. You should see how hard it is even to get a biopsy needle into them. But don't ignore lightheadedness you didn't have before. Someone would have to check you for any internal injuries and look at some blood work. Even a real doctor can't do that over the internet.

thanks for the replies guys

The lightheadedness could be loss of blood (it was for me ).

Check your finger nail roots, are they pale/whiter than normal? Sign of blood loss ...

Go to a free clinic if you don't have insurance, not worth screwing around with ...

Berardino