A man in Changsha, Hunan Province underwent emergency surgery to remove dozens of pearls he had embedded in his body for years as part of a folk remedy for his severe leg pain.

Doctors at Nianlun Orthopaedics Hospital (NOH) removed 42 pearls from the waist, hip and legs of the 61-year-old man surnamed Zou on Friday.

As a result of the unusual remedy, specialists found Zou had contracted bilateral femoral head necrosis, a condition where blood supply to the bone is interrupted.

After claiming to have suffered from intense lower back and leg pain for years, a friend introduced Zou to a doctor in Yiyang, Hunan Province, who suggested embedding 42 pearls under his skin.

He underwent the procedure with optimism in 2011.

"One of my relatives also underwent this special therapy and got better," said Zou.

Zou began experiencing sharp pain in his legs last year,  rendering him unable to walk.

Doctors at NOH warned against folk treatments, especially those which have little scientific basis.

people.com.cn