Roller Coasters and Kidney Stones

According to a research published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, if you have a kidney stone, riding a roller coaster can help dislodge it. Originally, not much thought had been put into this relationship until researchers at Michigan State University noticed a pattern. The majority of their kidney stone patients were riding roller coasters, and passing their stones soon after. This became particularly prevalent when one patient with 3 stones went on 3 different roller coasters, and after each ride the patient had passed a stone.

Researchers David Wartinger and Marc Mitchell conducted an experiment to test the theory that roller coasters can dislodge kidney stones, as this information was too much to ignore. Because neither of them actually had kidney stones, they were able to 3D print a life size replica of a kidney, and place 3 stones as well as human urine inside of it. Then they put the replica in a backpack at kidney height on a human, and brought it on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was here they found that after one ride, 17% of stones were passed in the front of the coaster, compared to 64% being passed in the back. Wartinger contributes these results to the vibration of roller coasters saying,

“This is just a very mechanical phenomenon. Basically, a kidney stone is a rock. And it is lodged in the physical passageways inside the kidney. It's simply about finding the right amount of shaking and rattling to get it through."

Unfortunately, this technique can only impact people with smaller kidney stones. Larger kidney stones that are bigger than 4 millimeters in size, are pretty painful to pass on their own and usually require surgery to remove. However, this approach mainly affects society in a positive manner as it is a way for some people to prevent kidney stones from getting larger and causing greater health problems. Some health professionals such as Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, see the theoretical appeal, but not the idea of this being a realistic treatment. David Wartinger and Marc Mitchell on the other hand are comfortable enough to recommend “roller coaster therapy” to their patients.

Self

My thoughts on this issue are very much like Wartinger and Mitchell’s. I love roller coasters and would happily go on one if I had a kidney stone I needed to pass, but I don’t think this should happen unless I consulted with my urologist first. It is so important to always ask a doctor if a treatment method is a possibility before trying it, as there could be some serious side effects that come with it. For example, if people with stones larger than 4 millimeters go on a roller coaster, they could end up with severe pain and kidney irritability from moving them around. So my suggestion on this issue is for people to consult with a doctor and see what removal method is right for them. If a roller coaster ride is one of them, by all means go have fun and pass a kidney stone. One might even say, kill two birds with one stone.

Sources

Willingham, A. (2016, September 28). Little kidney stone? Ride a roller coaster, says study. Retrieved November 01, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/28/health/kidney-stone-roller-coaster-study-trnd/index.html

Biel, L. (2016, October 31). Riding roller coasters might help dislodge kidney stones. Retrieved November 01, 2016, from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/riding-roller-coasters-might-help-dislodge-kidney-stones?tgt=nr

Yin, S. (2016, October 03). A Roller Coaster Remedy for Kidney Stones? Retrieved November 01, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/science/roller-coaster-kidney-stones.html