Safety and feasibility of photobiomodulation (LASER acupunture) for pain in children with sickle cell disease: a pilot study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17267/2965-3738bis.2026.e6733Keywords:
Sickle Cell Disease, Pain, Central Sensitization, Photobiomodulation, Acupuncture TherapyAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) presents pain as one of its primary symptoms, manifesting from early childhood, and requiring effective strategies for its control and management. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, safety and preliminary effects of photobiomodulation (LASER acupuncture) for pain control in children with sickle cell disease. Secondly, we decided to analyze the changes in brain waves before and after a single session. METHOD: A pilot study was conducted in children aged 6 to 12 years, followed at the Pediatric Hematology Outpatient Clinic of Professor Edgard Santos University Hospital, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. A body diagram, the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, the PedsQL Quality of Life Questionnaire, and electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were applied before and after a single session of acupuncture through LASER therapy photobiomodulation based on Traditional Chinese Medicine procedures. The brain activities were evaluated comparing children with SCD with health children pared by age and sex. RESULTS: Ten girls and five boys participated in the study, with a mean age of 9.93 ± 1.71 years. Most (80.00%) had HbSS phenotype, with pain primarily located in the lumbosacral region, knees, and head. The mean pain intensity was 6.00 ± 1.633, described as severe (93.3%), involving sensory, affective, and mixed components. A positive immediate effect was observed with photobiomodulation, reducing pain intensity to 1.75 ± 2.363 (p=0.036). Quantitative EEG tracings also revealed in an exploratory analysis a modulation potential for alpha, theta, beta, gamma, and sensorimotor waves. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture using LASER therapy photobiomodulation demonstrates promising potential for brain-mediated pain modulation in children with Sickle Cell Disease.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Carla Verônica Paixão Marques , Isadora Nunes Sá Fontes Baptista, Ana Marice Teixeira Ladeia, André Fonseca, Katia Nunes Sá, Abrahão Fontes Baptista
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
