Using his own experience as a cautionary tale, a Taiwanese man warned other people over the age of 40 to avoid going on roller coaster rides to avoid the risk of a potentially life-threatening brain haemorrhage.
Writing on the social media platform Threads, the unnamed man claimed to have visited Abu Dhabi last August and gone on the famous Ferrari World roller coaster, known for its high G-forces and speed. He started feeling unwell as soon as he got off the ride, but brushed it off as a temporary issue. His dizziness persisted through the night as well, and things only got worse over time.
After returning to Taiwan, the man began experiencing headaches, which only got worse over the next few months, but CT scans revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Last week, however, he suddenly collapsed in bed and was rushed to the Air Force General Hospital emergency room, where another scan revealed a severe dural haemorrhage.
The 40-year-old man underwent brain surgery to remove the blood that had built up in his skull. Doctors told him that this was not a typical stroke, but a chronic bleeding buildup caused by “severe external shaking,” and one actually asked him if he had ridden a rollercoaster lately.
Apparently, as we age, the brain undergoes slight shrinkage, increasing the space between the brain tissue and the skull, which gives the brain more movement space during the dramatic acceleration and deceleration of a roller coaster. This, coupled with the reduced elasticity of blood vessels in our later years, can cause them to rupture more easily under certain circumstances.
The man’s social media post went viral and other people over 40 confirmed his story with their own similar experiences.
“I’m over 50 years old,” one person commented on the post. “In January, I went to Disneyland in France with my daughter. I rode the inverted spinning roller coaster and didn’t feel anything at the time. But one day after returning to China, I suddenly had a retinal rupture and bleeding. Another day, I suddenly felt dizzy. After the examination, I found that my otoliths had dislodged. I probably won’t dare to ride it again.”
“I went to the ophthalmologist for a regular check-up. The doctor said that people with high myopia should avoid roller coasters, free-fall rides, or bungee jumping, as these rides involve violent shaking and can easily cause retinal detachment,” someone else wrote.
