Injury to the spinal cord produced by acupuncture needle.

An unusual case of injury to the upper cervical spinal cord is reported. A 62-year-old woman had been treated with acupuncture for stiffness of the muscles of her neck four to five years before she developed gradually progressive hypalgesia and hypothermesthesia over the right half of her body. Radiological examination and CT scan revealed the broken tip of an acupuncture needle between the first and second cervical vertebrae. The needle was removed. There was a moderate recovery of sensation.