Self-administered Acupressure in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease

The proposed research is to determine the clinical efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms of acupressure analgesia in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Inclusion Criteria: Any gender 18-80 (Adults) years old Have been diagnosed with SCD and experiencing chronic pain in the past 6 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