New research has found an unconventional solution to clearing painful kidney stones – riding Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, found that a ride on the rollercoaster at the Florida theme park had astounding results for those suffering with kidney stones, with multiple accounts of the ride curing them of their ailment.

Kidney stones – hard masses of minerals that form in the kidneys ranging in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball – can be passed in less extreme cases through the bladder, though the process is a painful one.

The study, published 26 September, said that several patients had reported passing kidney stones after riding Thunder Mountain, with one man noted as having passed a stone after three consecutive rides.

The researchers tested the strange phenomenon by creating a 3D model of a kidney, which included three real kidney stones varying in size from small to large and some urine. They then took the model kidney on the ride 20 consecutive times, experimenting with the position of the different-sized stones in different parts of the kidney model.

"Seat assignment on the roller coaster was random and determined as a function of place in the waiting line," said the study, noting that actual location on the train could not be controlled.

Seating turned out to be a crucial part of the study, with stones passing 64 per cent of the time regardless of size or location in the kidney when at the back of the train. This figure was significantly higher than the front of the rollercoaster, where the stones only passed 17 per cent of the time.

Commenting on the results, Dr. David Wartinger, a professor emeritus of urology at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and co-author of the study, said the preliminary findings “supported the anecdotal evidence that a ride on a moderate-intensity roller coaster could benefit some patients with small kidney stones."

Riding a rollercoaster following specialist treatments to break up kidney stones could prevent stones from getting larger or causing further problems, he added.

To read the full study, click here.

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