A 65-year-old woman in South Korea visited the hospital expecting confirmation that her swollen, painful knees were due to arthritis.

Instead, X-rays revealed something shocking—her joints were filled with hundreds of tiny gold needles.

The discovery stunned doctors and exposed the dangers of an extreme, little-known variation of acupuncture.

The woman had battled osteoarthritis for years, finding little relief from standard treatments like painkillers

and anti-inflammatories. Side effects pushed her to try alternative medicine. Unlike traditional acupuncture, where needles are removed after each session,

this version involved implanting thin gold needles permanently, with the belief they would provide constant pain relief.

Doctors warn this practice is dangerous. The body may react to the foreign material with chronic inflammation or tissue damage.

Infections are also a serious risk, and embedded metal can obscure scans, complicating future medical treatment.

The greatest danger comes with MRIs. Because the machines use strong magnetic fields, metal objects can shift inside the body,

potentially causing internal injury. While acupuncture is widely respected for pain management,

experts stress that unconventional methods like permanent needle implants should be avoided.

This case, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, serves as a cautionary reminder:

even traditional therapies can become hazardous when taken to extremes.