Go for a Ride, Lose a Stone

Perhaps one of the most painful experiences one can go through is having a kidney stone. Some people compare the pain of having a kidney stone to labor pains. Researchers have now found a way to get rid of a kidney stone without any medical procedures. A professor at Michigan State University decided to conduct a study on the ability to pass a kidney stone after riding a roller coaster. This came after several patients claimed they had passed the stone after riding a roller coaster. The results of his findings were published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

David Wartinger, a professor in the Department of Osteopathic Surgical Specialties, conducted a study on patients passing kidney stones after riding a roller coaster at Walt Disney World. Not just any roller coaster but specifically the Big Thunder Mountain coaster. Before conducting the study, Wartinger used a synthetic 3D model of a hollow kidney complete with three kidney stones no larger than 4 millimeters inserted into the replica. Then, he put the 3D model in a backpack to simulate the human body. The initial results confirmed what the patients had reported.

Wartinger set out to conduct the study in various locations of the roller coaster and the theory on different roller coasters. The study revealed that the location of where the patients sat also accounted for the success rate of passing the stone. Patients who sat in the back of the roller coaster had a passing rate of 70 percent, and if the stone was located in the upper chamber of the kidney, there was a 100 percent passing rate.

This study has proven that riding the Big Thunder Mountain ride at Walt Disney World can be a less expensive alternative to having surgery for the removal of kidney stones. Wartinger recommended this alternative if the patient passed all health requirements for the ride. He even encourages riding the coaster once a year as a preventative method.

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