Imagine heading to the doctor for ongoing knee pain, only to have them uncover something completely unexpected—like a bunch of tiny gold pieces embedded in your joints.
That’s pretty much what happened to a 65-year-old woman from South Korea who was dealing with bad knee troubles.
The Daily Struggle with Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis isn’t easy to live with. It slowly breaks down the cushioning cartilage in your joints, causing them to swell, stiffen up, and hurt a lot. Things you used to do without thinking—like going up stairs, tying your shoes, or just taking a walk—can turn into real ordeals.
This woman had been battling it for a while. Regular painkillers and anti-inflammatories didn’t help much and only upset her stomach.
Frustrated, she decided to try acupuncture instead. This ancient practice uses thin needles inserted at specific points to ease pain and treat various issues. In her case, the treatment involved gold threads or tiny needles that were deliberately left in place around her knees for ongoing relief—a method sometimes used in parts of Asia for arthritis.
But as it turns out, keeping those in permanently comes with some serious downsides.
Potential Risks of Leaving Foreign Objects Behind
Experts point out that anything left in the body like that can trigger problems. “Stuff that’s not supposed to be there might cause swelling, infections, or even abscesses,” noted Dr. Ali Guermazi, a radiology professor at Boston University who commented on similar cases back around 2013.
The body sees it as an intruder and fights back, leading to inflammation or scar tissue building up around it.
Plus, those metal bits can mess with medical scans. They might hide important details on X-rays, making it harder to see what’s really going on.
And here’s a big one: if you ever need an MRI, it could be dangerous. The strong magnets might shift the needles, potentially harming blood vessels or other tissues. 0 “An X-ray showing hundreds of tiny gold threads embedded around the knee joint from acupuncture treatment.” “LARGE” 2 ”” “LARGE”
This woman’s story stems from a real medical case reported years ago, highlighting how alternative treatments can sometimes lead to unexpected complications.
While acupuncture is popular worldwide—including for joint pain—and gold thread implants are more common in certain countries, solid proof of their long-term benefits is pretty limited.
In the end, her knees ended up with quite the hidden “treasure,” serving as a cautionary tale about weighing the risks of any treatment, no matter how traditional or promising it seems.