CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03687944Updated Sep 16, 2021

Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test in Rheumatoid Arthritis

An observational study in Rheumatoid Arthritis, sponsored by Pamukkale University. Completed at 1 site in Turkey. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-09-16.

Sponsored by Pamukkale University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
70
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Evaluation of upper extremity functionalities, strength and endurance of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis is important in terms of establishing treatment program and determining treatment results. In the literature, Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test (UULEX) has been found to be a valid and reliable method for endurance of unsupported upper extremity in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is frequently used to evaluate endurance in these patients. However, there is no study on the validity and reliability of UULEX in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.The aim of this study was to determine whether the Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test (UULEX) is a valid and reliable method to evaluate the upper extremity endurance in individual with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To study; a minimum of 70 individual with RA under the age of 65 who are diagnosed with RA and have no other disease affecting the upper extremity performance will be included in the rheumatology outpatient clinic.The patients with upper extremity pain that will affect the performance of the upper extremity will be excluded from the study.

The tests will be done after the demographic data of the individuals are taken. Tests will be applied to individuals before application. After each test, individuals will rest for 5 minutes to reduce the effect of fatigue. The tests will take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. For test-retest reliability, UULEX will be reapplied after one week. For compliance validity of the UULEX, Disability Assessment Shoulder and Hand Questionnaire (DASH), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), 30 sec Push up-Pull test and 6 minute pegboard and ring test will be applied.

Read the detailed description

Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test (UULEX):Individual sit on the chair in a way that touches the wall with the lines of the UULEX. The tables of the UULEX contain 8 horizontal levels. Each level is 84 cm wide and 8 cm high. The distance between the level centers is 15 cm. The line below corresponds to the knee level of the participant. The individual moves the plastic bar, which has a weight of 0.2 kg, from the hips by holding the arms at the shoulder width and moves it to the different levels of the lines of the UULEX in front of it. Each movement starts at the hip joint and ends at the hip joint. After making the first level for two minutes, the upper levels are made in two minute. The beginning and end point of each level is the hip joint. The bar is removed until 30 movements per minute accompanied by a metronome (level up). When individuals reach their maximum height, the bar weighing 0.2 kg is replaced with a 0.5 kg weighted bar. This weight will continue to raise to the maximum height. The weight is then increased by 0.5 kg per minute to 2 kg. Individual is referred to the test to continue until symptom limitation.

Statistical Analyses:The data will be given as mean ± standard deviation (X ± SD). The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) will be used to evaluate the reliability of the UULEX. For concurrent validity, the relationship of the 30 sec Push up-Pull Test, DASH, HAQ and the 6-peg board ring test will be evaluated with Pearson correlation analysis. In our study, 85% power was obtained in the design made with 5% type 1 error and at least 70 patients. p value will be taken as 0.05.

02

Conditions studied

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis

Keywords

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test
  • Validity
03

In context

Arthritis

3,554 studies on the registry are indexed under Arthritis; 317 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 70 is below the median of 155 across 1,057 observational studies indexed under Arthritis.

Browse Arthritis studies →

Lead sponsor

Pamukkale University is the lead sponsor of 331 studies on the registry; 61 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • People who are over 65 years of age, who have carpal tunnel syndrome and adherent capsule, who have undergone surgery for upper extremity, who are pregnant or can not cooperated will not be included in the study.
05

Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
70 participants (actual)
Target follow-up
3 Months
Patient registry
Yes

Interventions

  • OtherValidity and reliability

    Test-retest method and concurrent validity

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test

    Endurance test

    Time frame: two week

Secondary outcomes

  1. 6 minute pegboard and ring test

    endurance test

    Time frame: one week

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Pamukkale University
    Denizli, Kinikli 20160, Turkey
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Lima VP, Velloso M, Almeida FD, Carmona B, Ribeiro-Samora GA, Janaudis-Ferreira T. Test-retest reliability of the unsupported upper-limb exercise test (UULEX) and 6-min peg board ring test (6PBRT) in healthy adult individuals. Physiother Theory Pract. 2018 Oct;34(10):806-812. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2018.1425786. Epub 2018 Jan 19. PubMed 29351493 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Data of individuals will be given in the spss program

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 16, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03687944
Lead sponsor
Pamukkale University
Responsible party
Sebahat Yaprak Cetin,PT (PhD, Pamukkale University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 27, 2018
Start date
Dec 6, 2018
Primary completion
Apr 15, 2019
Completion
Apr 27, 2019
Last update
Sep 16, 2021

Study contacts

Ayse Ayan, Dr
study chair · Antalya Training and Research Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion