A Michigan State University urologist has discovered that riding a roller coaster helps patients pass kidney stones with nearly a 70 percent success rate.

David Wartinger, a professor emeritus in the Department of Osteopathic Surgical Specialties, led both a pilot study and an expanded study to assess whether the stories he was hearing from patients were true.

His pilot study is published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Wartinger went on to explain that these other rides are too fast and too violent with a G-force that pins the stone into the kidney and doesn't allow it to pass.

"The ideal coaster is rough and quick with some twists and turns, but no upside down or inverted movements," he said.

Full story and citation:

Michigan State University. "Old fashioned roller coasters can help patients pass kidney stones." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 September 2016.

Marc A. Mitchell, David D. Wartinger. 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, 2016; 116 (10): 647 DOI: 10.7556/jaoa.2016.128