Doctors Stunned After X-Ray Reveals Dozens of Gold Acupuncture Needles in Woman’s Knees
When a 65-year-old woman in South Korea visited her doctor for persistent knee pain, no one expected the appointment to turn into a medical surprise.
But that’s exactly what happened when her X-ray revealed something unusual: dozens of tiny gold acupuncture needles still embedded in the joint area.
The woman had been struggling with osteoarthritis — a chronic condition that gradually wears down cartilage and makes simple movements like climbing stairs or getting up from a chair increasingly painful.
Traditional medications offered her little relief and caused stomach discomfort, so she chose to try acupuncture instead.
According to a case published in the New England Journal of Medicine, her treatment involved needles that were inserted and intentionally left behind — a practice sometimes used in parts of Asia with the belief that long-term stimulation may help reduce joint pain.
However, this unusual discovery raised important medical concerns.
Leaving foreign objects inside the body can lead to problems such as:
inflammation
infection
interference with medical imaging
Radiologist Dr. Ali Guermazi, who commented on the case, noted that embedded needles may also prevent patients from safely undergoing MRI scans, as metallic objects can shift or heat during the procedure.
While acupuncture has long cultural roots and remains a popular complementary therapy — with millions of adults trying it in countries like South Korea and the U.S. — scientific evidence supporting long-term needle implantation is limited.
The surprising X-ray served as a reminder that alternative treatments can have risks, especially when materials are left in the body.
For this patient, the “gold” discovered in her knees wasn’t treasure — but a striking example of how unconventional remedies can leave unexpected traces long after the pain has gone.
