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Rheumatoid arthritis denotes hyperplasia and intense inflammatory process. Treatment involves exercise protocols and use of resources such as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) to modulate the inflammatory process and maintain physical capacity. The objective was to investigate whether treatment with LLLT and exercise modulates the inflammatory process and peripheral functionality. Sample is composed of 128 male rats, separated into three groups, control, treated and untreated, in the acute and chronic period of the disease with 64 animals in each group, divided into 8 subgroups with n = 8. The animals were immunized with injection at the base of the tail and 7 days after intra-articular injection with complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) for lesion groups, and saline solution for the controls. Joint disability was evaluated by PET (paw elevation time) and joint edema and treated with LLLT and/or resisted stair climbing exercise. Normality Shapiro-Wilk test, ANOVA mixed for the functional analyses, and ANOVA one-way for the variables of cellular differentiation, with Bonferroni post hoc, p = 5% were used. For the evaluations of joint disability and nociception, there was a significant difference between the evaluations, the groups, and the interaction groups-evaluations. The treated groups showed recovery of functionality; it is still verified that laser therapy increased the nociceptive threshold of the chronic inflammatory period, and the exercise reflected in significant functional improvement and modulation of the inflammatory process both in the acute and chronic periods. LLLT, resistance exercise, or a combination of treatments had a positive effect on the modulation of the inflammatory process, reducing the migration of leukocytes, in addition to helping the return of peripheral functionality by reducing joint disability in a model of rheumatoid arthritis induced by CFA in rats.