Objective: This study aimed to show the effects of different exercise types on disease activity, pain, functional status, and quality of life in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis with low disease activity or in remission and supported these findings with body composition and muscle measurements. Design: This randomized controlled prospective study screened female patients aged 20–50 years with rheumatoid arthritis. The patients were randomized into 12-wk resistance exercise, aerobic exercise, and control groups. Results: The mean age of the 66 patients was 42.5 ± 5.6 yrs. In the resistance and aerobic exercise groups compared with the control group, a positive significant difference was found in the pain, disease activity, several subparameters of quality of life, M. gastrocnemius, and M. biceps femoris muscle thickness measurements, and fat mass in the lower limbs before and after treatment (P < 0.05). Compared with the other groups, the resistance exercise group showed a significant improvement in M. rectus femoris and M. vastus intermedius muscle thickness measurements, whole body fat mass, whole body and lower extremity lean body mass, and timed up and go test when comparing before and after treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In rheumatoid arthritis patients, resistance exercises led to a significant increase in muscle thickness, functional status, lean body mass compared with other exercises; resistance exercises also resulted in a significant reduction in pain and disease activity.

Background: Electrodiagnostic testing (EDX) is important in the diagnosis and follow-up of neuropathic and myopathic diseases. This study aimed to demonstrate the compatibility between clinical prediagnosis and electrophysiological findings. Methods: EDX results from 2004 to 2020 at the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) clinic were screened. Tests with missing data, reevaluation studies, and cases of peripheral facial paralysis were excluded. The clinical prediagnosis and EDX results were recorded, and their compatibility was evaluated. Results: A total of 2,153 tests were included in this study. The mean age was 49.0±13.9 years and 1,533 of them (71.2%) were female. The most frequently referred clinic was the PM&R clinic (90.0%). Numbness (73.6%) was the most common complaint, followed by pain (15.3%) and weakness (13.9%). The most common prediagnosis was entrapment neuropathy (55.3%), radiculopathy (16.1%), and polyneuropathy (15.7%). Carpal tunnel syndrome was the most frequently identified type of entrapment neuropathy (78.3%). Six hundred and seventy EDX results (31.1%) were within normal limits. While the EDX results were consistent with the prediagnosis in 1,328 patients (61.7%), a pathology different from the prediagnosis was detected in 155 patients (7.2%). In the discrepancy group, the most common pathologies were entrapment neuropathy (51.7%), polyneuropathy (17.3%), and radiculopathy (15.1%). The most common neuropathy type was carpal tunnel syndrome (79.3%).Conclusion: After adequate anamnesis and physical and neurological examinations, requesting further appropriate tests will increase the prediagnosis accuracy and prevent unnecessary expenditure of time and labor.