Different stone types form through completely different metabolic pathways and require opposite dietary strategies. Restricting calcium worsens calcium oxalate stones but may help calcium phosphate stones. Alkalinizing urine dissolves uric acid stones but promotes calcium phosphate stones. Without knowing your stone type, prevention is guesswork. Read our full guide to kidney stone types.

Calcium oxalate stones account for approximately 70–80% of all kidney stones. They form when oxalate from foods like spinach, nuts, and chocolate combines with calcium in the urine. The key is not reducing calcium intake — it is eating calcium with oxalate-rich foods to bind the oxalate in the gut before it reaches your kidneys. See our complete kidney stone diet protocol.

Yes — uric acid stones are unique because they form in acidic urine (pH below 5.5) and can often be dissolved by alkalinizing the urine to pH 6.5–7.0 using potassium citrate supplementation. This is one of the few stone types where medical dissolution therapy is genuinely effective. Combined with adequate hydration and purine restriction, many uric acid stones can be managed without surgery. Learn more about metabolic workups.

When a stone is passed naturally or retrieved during surgery (URS, PCNL, or ESWL), it is sent to a laboratory for infrared spectroscopy or X-ray diffraction analysis. This identifies the exact mineral composition. If no stone is available, a 24-hour urine metabolic evaluation can identify the metabolic drivers, allowing your urologist to infer the likely stone type and guide prevention precisely. See your chances of passing a stone naturally.

Struvite stones are composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate and form exclusively in the setting of urinary tract infection by urease-producing bacteria (most commonly Proteus mirabilis). They can grow rapidly into large staghorn calculi that fill the entire kidney collecting system. Treatment requires both complete surgical removal and antibiotic eradication of the infection. Dietary changes alone cannot prevent struvite stones. Learn more in our UTIs & Infections Hub.