{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T19:25:25Z","timestamp":1765567525156,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765497600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is one of the most substantial and debilitating complications of sickle cell disease (SCD), particularly in pediatric patients. Although exercise is recognized as a potential therapeutic strategy for managing SCD-associated MSK pain, the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare professionals regarding its use remain unclear. This study aimed to explore healthcare professionals\u2019 perspectives on the role of exercise in managing MSK pain in children with SCD.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Method<\/jats:title>\n Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with nineteen healthcare professionals (pediatric nurses and pediatricians). All interviews were transcribed verbatim; codes were generated and inductively organized into themes.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Three major themes were identified that described healthcare professionals\u2019 perspectives on using exercise as a therapy for MSK pain in children with SCD. These included understanding exercise in managing MSK pain in SCD, barriers to using exercise in managing MSK pain in SCD, and facilitators for implementing an exercise program for MSK pain in SCD.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Healthcare professionals acknowledge the potential benefits of exercise in managing musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in children with sickle cell disease (SCD); however, overcoming identified barriers and utilizing facilitators is essential for effective implementation.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0327183","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T18:30:51Z","timestamp":1765564251000},"page":"e0327183","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exercise as a therapy for sickle cell-associated musculoskeletal pain among children: Healthcare professionals\u2019 perspectives"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7946-1143","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Britney Pinamang","family":"Gyampo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6750-3855","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Isaac","family":"Mensah Bonsu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0327183.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"100580","DOI":"10.1016\/j.blre.2019.05.004","article-title":"Sickle cell disease: Clinical presentation and management of a global health challenge","volume":"37","author":"ME Houwing","year":"2019","journal-title":"Blood Rev"},{"issue":"16","key":"pone.0327183.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1561","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra1510865","article-title":"Sickle cell disease","volume":"376","author":"FB Piel","year":"2017","journal-title":"New England Journal of Medicine"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref003","author":"RM Musowoya","year":"2019"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0327183.ref004","article-title":"Sickle cell disease: a new era","volume":"6","author":"S Simpson","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet Haematol"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0327183.ref005","first-page":"431","article-title":"Musculoskeletal pain and quality of life in children with sickle cell anaemia","volume":"55","author":"AD Adekile","year":"2019","journal-title":"Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Abwalaba RA, Esamai F, Okoth J. Factors influencing the management of musculoskeletal pain among children with sickle cell disease in western Kenya. 2023.","DOI":"10.51867\/ajernet.4.2.48"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0327183.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"188","DOI":"10.1080\/03630269.2019.1649278","article-title":"Barriers to the use of hydroxyurea in the management of sickle cell disease in Nigeria","volume":"43","author":"TA Adeyemo","year":"2019","journal-title":"Hemoglobin"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0327183.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1007\/s40272-017-0263-z","article-title":"State of the Art Management of Acute Vaso-occlusive Pain in Sickle Cell Disease","volume":"20","author":"L Puri","year":"2018","journal-title":"Paediatr Drugs"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0327183.ref009","first-page":"100258","article-title":"Musculoskeletal Pain: Current and Future Directions of Physical Therapy Practice","volume":"5","author":"BM Fullen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Arch Rehabil Res Clin Transl"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0327183.ref010","first-page":"738","article-title":"Home-based exercise improves pain, physical activity and quality of life in children and adolescents with sickle cell anaemia","volume":"56","author":"FE Eke","year":"2020","journal-title":"Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0327183.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"349","DOI":"10.1093\/intqhc\/mzm042","article-title":"Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups","volume":"19","author":"A Tong","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int J Qual Health Care"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0327183.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1191\/1478088706qp063oa","article-title":"Using thematic analysis in psychology","volume":"3","author":"V Braun","year":"2006","journal-title":"Qualitative Research in Psychology"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0327183.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1177\/1468794112446106","article-title":"\u2018Unsatisfactory Saturation\u2019: a critical exploration of the notion of saturated sample sizes in qualitative research","volume":"13","author":"M O\u2019Reilly","year":"2012","journal-title":"Qualitative Research"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/0147-1767(85)90062-8","volume-title":"Naturalistic inquiry","author":"Y Lincoln","year":"1985"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref015","author":"CNN KR, J H","year":"2020"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref016","author":"EJ Ogada","year":"2022"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0327183.ref017","article-title":"Moderate-intensity endurance-exercise training in patients with sickle-cell disease without severe chronic complications (EXDRE): an open-label randomised controlled trial","volume":"5","author":"B Gellen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet Haematol"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0327183.ref018","first-page":"572","article-title":"Motivators and Barriers to Physical Activity among Youth with Sickle Cell Disease: Brief Review","volume":"9","author":"OO Olorunyomi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Children (Basel)"},{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0327183.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"707","DOI":"10.1097\/AJP.0b013e31814da3eb","article-title":"Fear of movement (kinesiophobia), pain, and psychopathology in patients with sickle cell disease","volume":"23","author":"J Pells","year":"2007","journal-title":"Clin J Pain"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0327183.ref020","first-page":"158","article-title":"A Qualitative Study of Chronic Pain and Self-Management in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease","volume":"111","author":"N Matthie","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Natl Med Assoc"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Camila C, Martino I, Cecilia SA, Paula L, Anna B, Freitas CP, et al. Use of automated pyrosequencing technique for confirmation of sickle cell disease for the international component of the NHLBI Recipient Epidemiology band Donor Evaluation Study (REDS-III). 2019.","DOI":"10.1101\/610063"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref022","article-title":"Cultural and ethnic factors in the expression and management of musculoskeletal pain in children with sickle cell anaemia","author":"KA Anie","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Child Neurology"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0327183.ref023","first-page":"223","article-title":"The effectiveness of exercise intervention in managing musculoskeletal pain in children with sickle cell anaemia: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"29","author":"BG Olutola","year":"2019","journal-title":"International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry"},{"key":"pone.0327183.ref024","article-title":"Family management ofchildren who experience sickle cell disease: a qualitative study","volume":"73","author":"ECR Gesteira","year":"2020","journal-title":"Rev Bras Enferm"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0327183.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-021-06245-2","article-title":"Improving access to healthcare for paediatric sickle cell disease patients: a qualitative study on healthcare professionals\u2019 views","volume":"21","author":"ME Houwing","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0327183.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/diseases12070156","article-title":"Healthcare Professionals\u2019 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in the Assessment, and Management of Sickle-Cell Disease: A Meta-Aggregative Review","volume":"12","author":"AA Druye","year":"2024","journal-title":"Diseases"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0327183","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]],"date-time":"2025-12-12T18:30:55Z","timestamp":1765564255000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0327183"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Tomasz W.","family":"Kaminski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]},"references-count":26,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0327183","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]}}}