Got kidney stones? Ride a roller coaster! Study shows it is the most pain-free way


  • Researchers rode roller coasters 60 times in a row with a model kidney 
  • They were testing their patients’ theory that it helps to pass stones
  • They deemed the theory was correct, especially at the back of the ride

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

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A roller coaster ride is a fail-safe way to shift kidney stones, a new study claims.

But it may take you a few tries. 

That is according to a team at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine – who rode Disney World’s top rides 60 times to test their theory.

Researchers rode three roller coasters 60 times in a row with a model kidney to see if it helps to stimulate passing kidney stones. By the end of the unusual test they concluded it did

The study, published today, was the brain-child of lead author Dr David Wartinger, a urologist whose patients have been singing the praises of roller coasters. 

Eventually, after years of hearing about this method of passing stones, Dr Wartinger decided to put it to the test. 

He and his team developed a model kidney from 3D-printed silicone filled with urine and three kidney stones of differing sizes. 

They then hopped on Walt Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride 20 times, holding the model where it would be on a person. 

Then they rode Space Mountain 20 times and the railway ride 20 times, sitting at different points of the ride each go. 

By the end they concluded that roller coasters do indeed stimulate kidney stones to pass – and your best bet is sitting at the back.  

It is the first study to scientifically test home methods of passing kidney stones. 

Doctors have their own theories, with most advising patients to do physical exercise. 

But until now there was no clear data to support it, bar anecdotes. 

Dr Wartinger said: ‘Preliminary study findings support the anecdotal evidence that a ride on a moderate-intensity roller coaster could benefit some patients with small kidney stones.

‘Passing a kidney stone before it reaches an obstructive size can prevent surgeries and emergency room visits.

The team developed a model kidney from 3D-printed silicone (pictured)

They filled the model with urine and three kidney stones of differing sizes (pictured)

‘Roller coaster riding after treatments like lithotripsy and before planned pregnancies may prevent stone enlargement and the complications of ureteral obstruction.’ 

Kidney stones are quite common.

Around three in 20 men and up to two in 20 women develop the condition at some stage of their lives, mainly when between the ages of 30 and 60.

It is very common in pregnant women. 

They are caused by a build up waste products in the blood forming crystals that form a hard stone-like lump in the kidneys.

The body tries to pass it out when you go to the toilet.

The study was published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 

The purpose of this initial study was to validate the effectiveness of the model and support the case for further research.

Dr Wartinger added: ‘The osteopathic philosophy of medicine emphasizes prevention and the body’s natural ability to heal.

Kidney stones are caused by a build up waste products in the blood forming crystals that form a hard stone-like lump in the kidneys

‘What could be more osteopathic than finding a relatively low-cost, non-invasive treatment that could prevent suffering for hundreds of thousands of patients? ‘

The model held three actual kidney stones of various sizes positioned in the upper, middle or lower passageways of the kidney. 

Researchers analyzed those 60 ride outcomes to determine how the variables of kidney stone volume, location in the kidney and model position in the front versus rear of the roller coaster impacted kidney stone passage.

Independent of kidney stone volume and location, findings showed sitting in the back of the roller coaster resulted in a passage rate of 63.89 per cent.

Front seat rides resulted in a passage rate of 16.67 per cent. 

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