Can Roller Coaster Rides Dislodge Kidney Stones and Other Amusing Things to Make Us Think

Studies that might seem superfluous often support subsequent scientific discoveries

The Ig Nobel awards this year included the prize in Medicine for a study designed to evaluate the possibility that riding a rollercoaster could dislodge a kidney stone. I couldn’t be more delighted to see two osteopathic physicians awarded for performing such creative, thought-provoking research. And, yes, it made me both laugh, and then think.

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people LAUGH, and then THINK. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology.

The study was published in the JAOA (Journal of the American Osteopathic Association) in October of 2016, and served several valuable purposes. The authors modified a high-fidelity adult ureteroscopy and renoscopy simulator to use as a model on the roller coaster . . . ostensibly because of ethical considerations of recruiting patients with kidney stones to sign up for this ride. (Pun intended.) This procedure for modifying such a device encourages further investigation into alternative solutions for conducting clinical research to avoid exposing patients to the risks of research participation.

In addition to that more serious contribution to science, was the public service of providing a safe means for scientifically testing an urban medical legend.

Over several years, a notable number of our patients reported passing renal calculi spontaneously after riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida. 

Must View YouTube

ImprobableResearch, the organization that sponsors the Ig Nobels, has a YouTube channel with recordings of the award ceremonies. The events are hysterical. One day I hope to attend in person, though tickets are incredibly difficult to get.

As an example of the effervescent joy of the Ig Nobels, the 2014 Ig Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the inventor of the Karaoke, Daisuke Inoue. The award presentation included being serenaded by Nobel Laureate presenters (Dudley Herschbach, Richard Roberts, and William Lipscomb, and Karen Hopkin). The presentation lasts for about five minutes altogether in this Video, though I highly encourage watching the entire award ceremony.