Podcast #216: Roller Coasters and Kidney Stones

Author: Aaron Lessen, M.D.

Educational Pearls:

• Anecdotal evidence suggests that roller coasters may help with kidney stones.
• A recent study used a model of a kidney and ureter with different sized stones and put it on Thunder Mountain roller coaster in Disney World.
• There was "dramatic passage" of the kidney stones at the rear of the roller coaster.

References: Marc A. Mitchell, DO; David D. Wartinger, DO, JD. Validation of a Functional Pyelocalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, October 2016, Vol. 116, 647-652. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2016.128. http://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2557373