Hundreds of Gold Threads Found in Woman’s Knees After Acupuncture: A Shocking Case in South Korea

gold thread acupuncture, gold wires in knee, acupuncture side effects, knee pain treatments, alternative therapy risks, osteoarthritis alternative therapy, gold needle therapy, gold wire complications, acupuncture health risks, foreign objects in joints

By YEET Magazine Staff, YEET Magazine
Published October 3, 2025

Hundreds of Gold Threads Found in Woman’s Knees After Acupuncture: A Shocking Case in South Korea

A 65‑year-old South Korean woman who suffered from severe knee pain recently stunned doctors when an X‑ray revealed hundreds of tiny gold threads woven into the tissues around her knee joints. What caused it? A controversial acupuncture technique that implants very short, sterile gold wires under the skin — a practice still used today in parts of Asia.

The Story: How the Golden Threads Were Discovered

The woman had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a common degenerative joint disease. She tried standard treatments — painkillers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and even steroid injections into her knees — but the relief was limited. To make things worse, the medications caused serious stomach problems, so she eventually stopped them. Live Science+1

Seeking a different approach, she turned to alternative medicine — specifically, gold-thread acupuncture. Over time, she increased the frequency of her sessions, eventually going several times a week. South China Morning Post+1

When her knee pain grew unbearable, she went back to the hospital. During her check-up, doctors performed an X-ray of her left knee. Not only did they see signs typical of osteoarthritis (like bone thickening and spurs), but they were shocked to find bright flecks all around the joint — the radiographic signature of hundreds of fine gold threads. Yahoo+1

These threads were not an accident: they had been intentionally implanted as part of her acupuncture therapy. The idea behind this technique is that the gold wires remain in place to provide continuous stimulation to the tissues. Live Science

Why It Matters: Risks & Warnings

Medical experts are raising serious concerns about this practice:

• Lack of scientific proof: There’s little solid clinical evidence that gold-thread acupuncture actually helps joint pain. South China Morning Post
• Health risks: These embedded gold threads can cause cysts or migrate within the body, potentially damaging tissues. Telegrafi
• Imaging problems: Metal threads show up on X-rays, complicating diagnosis. In some cases, they may make MRI scans more dangerous because the metal could move and harm nearby vessels. Telegrafi
• Infection risk: There’s documented evidence of migratory gold threads leading to infections. In one example, a patient developed recurring cellulitis after gold threads, initially inserted in her back, migrated to her lower leg. cuk.elsevierpure.com+1

What Led Her to Try Gold-Thread Acupuncture

It’s not hard to understand her reasoning. When conventional painkillers failed — and even caused side effects — she turned to a therapy that promised long-term relief. Practitioners who use gold-thread acupuncture claim that embedding gold wires helps by continuously stimulating nerve points, potentially reducing pain over time. 臺灣中西整合醫學會+1

Still, experts warn that this hope comes with a heavy cost: in unproven treatments like this, patients may delay or avoid standard medical care that is actually effective. Telegrafi

What This Means for Patients and Doctors

• Doctors should be aware of such alternative therapies, especially when interpreting imaging. What looks like “foreign flecks” on an X-ray might actually be embedded metal from earlier treatments. Yahoo
• Patients considering gold-thread acupuncture need to ask tough questions: Do the claimed benefits outweigh the risks? Is there evidence for long-term safety?
• Regulatory authorities and medical communities might need to rethink how to regulate these lesser-known but potentially risky practices.
• More research is needed to assess how common complications are, and whether long-term retention of gold threads is safe.

The Person Behind the X-ray: A Human Story

Imagine waking up each morning with stabbing, constant knee pain. You try medication, but it upsets your stomach so badly that you cut it out. You’re desperate. You hear about a treatment that promises “deep and lasting stimulation” — and you try it, week after week. When nothing else works, you go back to the hospital, but now doctors give you even more surprising news: you don’t just have arthritis. You have gold wires in your body.

This story isn’t just about controversy or unproven medicine. It’s about a person in pain, trying to find relief — and about how alternative therapies can sometimes carry hidden risks.

✅ What You Can Do Now

• If you're considering alternative therapies for chronic pain, talk to a trusted, licensed medical professional first.
• Request imaging (X-rays, MRI) before and after any invasive treatment — and ask how foreign materials (like metal) might affect future scans.
• Research the treatment: ask for published data, case studies, and risk reports for gold-thread acupuncture.
• Share your experience: if you’ve had or are thinking about this kind of acupuncture, talk to support groups or online forums to understand others’ outcomes.

Related Posts

• What is gold-thread acupuncture?
• Is gold acupuncture safe?
• Risks of gold wire in the body from acupuncture
• Can gold acupuncture cause infection?
• Migratory gold threads acupuncture side effects
• Gold threads under skin X-ray
• Can metal wires be left in your body after acupuncture?
• Alternative treatments for knee osteoarthritis
• Why do some acupuncturists implant gold threads?
• Is gold thread acupuncture supported by science?
• Gold thread acupuncture vs regular acupuncture
• Can gold threads move in your body?
• Can embedded gold affect MRI scans?
• How common is gold wire acupuncture in Korea?
• Cases of tissue damage from metal acupuncture
• Foreign body reaction to gold acupuncture
• Chronic pain and unproven therapies
• Stories of gold wires discovered in joint X-rays
• Cellulitis from migrating gold needles
• Study on gold thread migration in the body
• How do doctors detect embedded gold threads?
• What are osteophytes?
• Side effects of acupuncture with metal thread
• Long-term safety of implanting metals under skin
• Gold acupuncture complications
• Alternative therapy for arthritis risks
• Does gold have medical benefits when used in needles?
• How do gold needles stay in the body?
• Are there regulations for thread embedding acupuncture?
• Gold acupuncture in traditional Korean medicine
• Can embedded gold cause cancer?
• How to remove gold threads from body
• Acupuncture foreign objects case report
• X-ray findings of acupuncture complications
• Pain relief acupuncture vs injections
• Is acupuncture covered by insurance?
• Ethical concerns around permanent implants in alternative medicine
• What are osteoarthritis treatment options in 2025?
• Should you avoid acupuncture if you might need an MRI?
• How to discuss alternative treatments with your doctor
• Migratory foreign bodies from traditional medicine
• Safety advice before getting acupuncture
• Gold thread lifting vs gold thread acupuncture
• Can gold in the body interfere with medical tests?
• Gold wire acupuncture history
• Real patient stories about gold thread therapy
• Who practices gold-thread acupuncture today?
• How to report complications from alternative therapy
• Gold vs silver threads in medicine
• What is subchondral sclerosis?

Sources / References

• LiveScience on the knee X-ray case. Live Science
• South China Morning Post explainer on risks. South China Morning Post
• Korean medical report on migratory gold threads and cellulitis. cuk.elsevierpure.com+1
• Clinical dermatology literature on inflammation and foreign-body reactions. dovepress.com