The Patient's Struggle with Chronic Pain

Meet a 65-year-old woman from South Korea whose battle with severe knee pain had become a nightmare. Initially diagnosed with osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint condition that causes relentless pain and stiffness, she relied on painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. After steroid injections failed to provide relief, she faced new challenges as those medications caused severe stomach pain, forcing her to stop altogether.

A Search for Alternative Relief

Desperate for relief, the woman turned to acupuncture, initially booking weekly sessions that quickly escalated to multiple times a week during her worst flare-ups. But when her knees grew increasingly painful, she found herself back in the hospital.

An Unusual Discovery: Golden Threads on X-Ray

X-rays of her left knee revealed alarming findings: the inner shinbone had thickened and developed bony growths known as spurs. But the most shocking revelation came when doctors spotted hundreds of tiny flecks surrounding the joint—gold threads implanted there during her acupuncture treatments.

The Gold-Thread Dilemma

These short, sterile gold threads are intentionally left in place during acupuncture to stimulate tissue healing. While doctors did not specify if they removed the threads, prior cases have shown varied outcomes. Leaving them in comes with risks, as encapsulated threads have led to cyst formation in previous patients.

A Growing Concern: Risks of Gold-Thread Acupuncture

Though gold-thread acupuncture is a common practice for treating conditions like osteoarthritis in Asia, experts warn of its potential dangers. Not only does it lack scientific support, but cases suggest it might exacerbate conditions by delaying necessary medical treatment. For instance, another South Korean woman’s rheumatoid arthritis progressed significantly due to reliance on gold-thread acupuncture instead of conventional medication.

Migration and Complications: A Warning for Patients

Concerns extend beyond mere cyst formation; gold threads can migrate within the body and cause serious damage. One case highlighted a 75-year-old woman whose threads traveled to her lower leg, leading to a deep skin infection. Additionally, these embedded threads can complicate medical imaging procedures like X-rays and MRIs, raising fears of metal fragments damaging nearby tissues or vessels.

A Call for Awareness

Healthcare providers are urged to recognize the risks associated with gold-thread acupuncture. Despite the challenges, the unique visibility of these threads on X-rays allows for monitoring over time—a small relief in an otherwise concerning case. As alternative therapies continue to grow in popularity, the need for informed decisions in patient care has never been more critical.