The incidence of adverse events following acupuncture has been described as minimal. However, there are reports of patients undergoing acupuncture suffering from a transient loss of consciousness and upright posture due to global cerebral ischemia; known as convulsive syncope. The current study concerns a 21 year old male patient who was receiving acupuncture treatment for medial tibial stress syndrome. He developed a case of convulsive syncope immediately following the treatment. The patient was referred to a specialist registrar in cardiology. He was then subjected to a range of laboratory tests, including an exercise induced stress test measuring heart rate and blood pressure, which revealed no abnormalities. Consequently, the patient was cleared to return to sport. This current case study suggests a wider consideration is needed to include the athletic population who may have been recently subjected to any of the aforementioned stresses.

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