Little kidney stone? Ride a roller coaster, says study

(CNN)When you're trying to pass a kidney stone, you're probably not thinking, in your cloud of agony, "Darn it! I should have ridden a roller coaster."

And yet a new study suggests doing just that. According to research published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, the bump and jolt of a roller coaster may actually help bump and jolt small kidney stones right through your system.

Dr. David Wartinger is one of the researchers who led the study, which involved bringing a silicone model packed with kidney stones and urine on Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride.

Yes, it is as fascinating as it sounds.

Wartinger, an osteopathic urological surgeon and professor at Michigan State University, said he got the idea from a patient who said he passed three kidney stones while riding the Orlando coaster.
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