A ride on Disney World's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster could get rid of kidney stones. This is based on a recent study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Patients with kidney stones may have to go to Florida.
The Rollercoaster Ride Experiment
According to the Live Science, the researchers had to create a 3D kidney model. It was concealed in a backpack. It had to be taken with the researchers during the ride. The said model contained three real kidney stones and some urine. The stones were 4.5, 13.5 and 64.6 cubic millimeters in size.
Apparently, they rode the roller coaster 20 times. They put the stones in different parts of the model. Each stone had to be placed in each location of the kidney for at least one ride.
Their study revealed that the seat assignment on the roller coaster was important. The kidney stones passed nearly 64 percent of the time. This is when the researchers were seated in the rear car. The size or location of the kidney stones doesn't affect it. The stones passed about 17 percent of the time in the front seat.
Co-author Dr. David Wartinger said that the findings support an anecdotal evidence. A ride on a moderate-intensity roller coaster could actually benefit some patients. It's possible in cases of small kidney stones.
He also mentions that riding it could prevent stones from getting larger. He advised that this should be done after receiving the lithotripsy treatment.
Inspired By A Real-life Cases
Wartinger admitted that the experiment was inspired by real-life cases. He had been told by patients about their ride on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster, which caused them to pass their kidney stones. He had also seen reports of such incidents.
Wartinger and his colleague Dr. Marc Mitchell, then decided to go to Florida. According to NBC News, they left East Lansing in the name of medical research.
