Testing acupuncture to help manage pain in sickle cell disease

This research study is testing whether acupuncture—a treatment where very fine needles are inserted into the skin at specific points on your body—can help manage chronic pain from sickle cell disease. You would be randomly assigned to receive either traditional needle acupuncture or laser acupuncture (which uses a laser device instead of needles). The researchers want to understand not only whether acupuncture reduces your pain, but also how it works by looking at changes in your brain activity and nervous system.

Many people with sickle cell disease suffer from severe chronic pain and often rely on strong pain medications like opioids. This study exists because researchers believe that acupuncture could be a helpful non-medication option to manage pain, and they want to understand the science behind how it works.