One of the scariest moments of last season was Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda getting drilled in the head by a line drive.  Kuroda says his head is now fine, but he’s had recurring neck pain which he believes was a result of whiplash caused by the liner to his skull.  Eager to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2009, he’s turned to an acupuncture treatment with a shit-ton of needles “that is very irregular even in Japan.”

Kuroda explains:

Normally they use one needle in acupuncture, but he [Kuroda's regular acupuncturist in Hiroshima] used a device with several needles in a cylindrical tube. He pressed it and many needles came through and it was really painful. But the treatment worked, it relieved the pain.

SportsUntapped has a obtained an exclusive artist’s rendering of the device used on Kuroda, which can be seen by clicking here.  I guess a little nagging neck pain wouldn’t seem so bad after they go to town on you with that thing.

Kuroda also says that despite his near-death experience, he has no fear and is happy to still be playing:

You can’t be prepared for a game if you are afraid of injury or afraid of getting old. I don’t think I’m afraid of anything, that’s what’s allowed me to play until now. … I’d like to play as long as I can. Having gotten hit by the pitch, it could have been the end of my baseball career and the end of my life. I’m just glad I have another chance to play, and now that I have the chance, I want to live my dream as long as possible. I don’t really feel pressure because of last year. But because of last year, I like to play to the max, and I don’t want any regrets at end of the season.