Using acupressure to manage pain in sickle cell disease patients

Remote Self-Administered Acupressure for Pain Management in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease

This study is testing if acupressure can help people with sickle cell disease manage their pain better over five weeks.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 240 (estimated)
• Ages: 14 Years to 80 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Indiana University (other)
• Locations: 2 sites (Irvine, California and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT06511453 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness and underlying neurobiological mechanisms of acupressure as a pain management technique for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Participants will engage in remote self-administered acupressure treatments every other day for five weeks, with follow-up assessments over six months. The study will provide detailed instructions on acupressure techniques and involve the collection of health-related data and inner eyelid images to monitor hemoglobin levels. The goal is to determine if this non-pharmacological approach can alleviate pain associated with SCD.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are individuals aged 14-80 diagnosed with sickle cell disease who have experienced chronic pain or vaso-occlusive crises.

Not a fit: Patients currently using alternative pain management techniques like acupuncture or those with concurrent autoimmune or inflammatory diseases may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could offer a new, non-drug method for managing pain in patients with sickle cell disease.

How similar studies have performed: While acupressure has been explored for various pain conditions, this specific application in sickle cell disease is relatively novel and has not been extensively tested.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Any gender
* 14-17 (Adolescents) and 18-80 (Adults) years old
* Have been diagnosed with SCD and experiencing chronic pain in the past 6 months or vaso-occlusive crisis/crises in the past 12 months.
* Either outpatient or inpatient or status changing between each other
* Willing to limit the current and the introduction of any new medications or treatment modalities for control of pain symptoms during the study visits.
* Willing to stick to the scheduled acupressure treatments every other day for 5 weeks.
* Fluent in English and capable of giving written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Recent/ongoing alternative pain management with acupuncture/acupressure or acupuncture/acupressure-related techniques within the last 6 months.
* Presence of a concurrent autoimmune or inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. that causes pain or any other chronic pain condition with pain greater than sickle pain.
* Diseases/conditions history includes but not limited to:
* Head injury with substantial loss of consciousness
* Known non-SCD-related severe psychiatric illnesses (e.g. current schizophrenia, major depression with suicidal ideation).
* Significant visual, motor, or auditory impairment that would interfere with ability to perform study visits-related activities

Where this trial is running

Irvine, California and 1 other locations

• University of California, Irvine — Irvine, California, United States (RECRUITING)
• Indiana University School of Medicine — Indianapolis, Indiana, United States (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Ying Wang, MD, PhD

Conditions: Sickle Cell Disease, Pain, Acupressure, Inner Eyelid Imaging