• Sebahat Yaprak Cetin, Bilge Basakci Calik, Ayse Ayan, and Ugur Cavlak.
• Faculty of Health Science, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
• Int J Rheum Dis. 2019 Nov 1; 22 (11): 2025-2030.

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease which affects the performance of the upper extremities. There is no method to evaluate the specific upper extremity endurance of individuals with this disease. The unsupported upper-limb exercise test (UULEX) is a performance test that evaluates upper extremity performance (functionality and endurance).AimThe aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of UULEX and the minimal detectable change (MDC) in individuals with RA.Methods And MaterialsThe study included 71 patients (15 male, 56 female) with a mean age of 52.15 ± 10.11 years. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the reliability of UULEX. MDC estimates were calculated using baseline data. Correlations of UULEX with the Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), 30-second push-up test and 6 pegboard ring test (6PBRT) were assessed for concurrent validity.ResultsThe level, weight and duration scores of the UULEX test were found to be excellent for intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.922, 0.960, 0.958). Intra-rater MDC values were determined to be 0.35, 2.04, and 0.80 seconds, respectively. Moderate-excellent correlations were found between UULEX and DASH, HAQ, 30-second push-up test and 6PBRT (P < .05).ConclusionThe results of this study showed that UULEX test is a valid and reliable method for the assessment of upper extremity performance in individuals with RA.© 2019 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

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