Thermography and Exercise

MESTRADO EM EXERCÍCIO E SAÚDE
FISIOLOGIA DO EXERCÍCIO
TERMOGRAFIA E EXERCÍCIO
MERVE ALTINTAŞ – M53914

INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY
Infrared thermography is a non-invasive
technique that measures mid to long-wave
infrared radiation emanating from all
objects and converts this to temperature.
Infrared thermography is a valid tool that

provides data on the heat radiated by a
body by recording infrared emission within
a spectrum of light invisible to humans.
Rojas-Valverde, D., Tomás-Carús, P., Timón, R., Batalha, N., Sánchez-Ureña, B., Gutiérrez-Vargas, R., & Olcina, G. (2021). Short-Term Skin Temperature Responses to Endurance Exercise: A
Systematic Review of Methods and Future Challenges in the Use of Infrared Thermography. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 11(12), 1286.
Tattersall, Glenn J. (2016). Infrared thermography: A non-invasive window into thermal physiology. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology.
INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY IN MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
In medicine, the applications of this

technology have focused on the evaluation of
physiological responses associated with skin
temperature, collaborating in the
identification of a series of factors linked to
cardiovascular, neurological, and oncological
pathologies, and even more recently to areas
of health and sports performance.
Rojas-Valverde, D., Tomás-Carús, P., Timón, R., Batalha, N., Sánchez-Ureña, B., Gutiérrez-Vargas, R., & Olcina, G. (2021). Short-Term Skin Temperature Responses to Endurance Exercise: A
Systematic Review of Methods and Future Challenges in the Use of Infrared Thermography. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 11(12), 1286.
Lahiri, B. B., Bagavathiappan, S., Jayakumar, T., & Philip, J. (2012). Medical applications of infrared thermography: A review. Infrared physics & technology, 55(4), 221–235.
INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY AND SPORT MEDICINE
Athletes are exposed to great physical stress in training and during competition.
Overuse reactions are frequent; therefore, their early detection is important.
Furthermore, early detection and localization of inflammation are critical steps in
determining the appropriate treatment. Inflammation will usually cause a localized
increase in skin temperature, thereby disturbing the “normal” symmetry.
Nerve damage or disturbances to the autonomic nervous system may also cause a
change and may lead to a localized cooling of the affected area. Because this is a
remote sensing technique, it is possible to monitor body surface temperature during
and after movement and thereby detect changes in skin temperature caused by the
exercise or therapy.
Hildebrandt, Carolin & Zeilberger, Karlheinz & Ring, E.F.J. & Raschner, Christian. (2012). The Application of Medical Infrared Thermography in Sports Medicine. 10.5772/28383.
Non-acute overuse injury of a 17-year-old football player (Non-
thermal stimuli)
He was diagnosed with a recurrent medial shin splint on his left leg
and was asymptomatic when the baseline images were taken (Figure
6a).
However, the area of referred pain on the left leg matches the area
of cooler skin along the tibiae. This problem became even more
visible following a sport-specific warm-up program, indicating a low
metabolic activity around the affected structures (Figure 6b).
In addition, the athlete had a history of osteochondrosis at the tibial

tuberosity of both knees. Especially following exercise, the tibial
tuberosity on both knees appeared as a cold area.
25-year-old professional football player represents an
incidental finding (Non-thermal stimuli)
Images were taken within the scope of a team screening.

On the injury questionnaire, no acute problems were
reported.
Upon enquiry, no signs of venous disease were reported.

However, the subject ́s right greater saphenous vein
appeared very clearly as an area of increased warmth on
the thermogram which may indicate a vascular dilatation
with beginning venous insufficiency (Figure 7).
The thermogram of a 26-year-old professional football player
represents a problem in the Achilles region (Non-thermal
stimuli)
This athlete reported a
feeling of morning stiffness
on the musculotendinous
junction on his left leg. The
thermograms showed a
side-to-side difference in
the affected area of 1.7° C.
The thermogram of tendinitis (Non-thermal stimuli)
Long term evaluation

of affected athletes
from alpine skiing (n= The technique provides
7), football (n=3), a quick screening tool
Thermal images clearly and should be used as
running (n=2) and
show a hyperthermic a first-line detection
tennis (n=1), who
area above the tibial tool prior to ultrasound
showed acute
tuberosity (Figure 12).
symptoms in one leg, or conventional X-rays.
revealed a side-to-side
temperature difference
of 1.1°C (± 0.71 °C).
Thermal Stimuli
Twelve athletic males (mean age
26.0 ± 2.7 years, height 177.2cm ±
4.3 cm, mass 71.1 ± 8.4
kg)performed both, anaerobic
exercise (5 minutes, 80rpm,
90%HRmax) and aerobic exercise
(45minutes, 80rpm, 60%HRmax)
under thermo-neutral conditions.
The ROI (region of interest) was

defined above the middle portion
of the M.quadriceps.
Thermal Stimuli
The temperature above the exercising

muscle increased following aerobic
exercise (0.7°C, p=0.215) and decreased
following anaerobic exercise (-1.5°C,
p=0.094). In addition, hot coloured dots
over the thigh occurred after aerobic
exercise.
To meet the increased metabolic demand

of active muscles, short-term, intense
exercise leads to a redistribution of blood
flow away from inactive tissues such as
the skin, to exercising muscles through the
vasoconstrictor system. This process
explained the marginal skin temperature
decrease following anaerobic exercise.
Thermal Stimuli
Akimov et al. obtained significant

correlations between maximal and avarege
temperature on sportsmen upper body part
and important indexes of aerobic capacity –
VO2max and anaerobic threshold.
Akimov E.B., Andreev R.S., Arkov V.V., Kirdin A.A., Saryanc V.V., Sonkin V.D., Tonevitsky A.G., “Thermal "portrait" of sportsmen with different aerobic capacity” Acta Kinesiologica. 14(1).pp.7-
16,2009.
Thermal Stimuli
Akimov E.B., Andreev R.S., Arkov V.V., Kirdin A.A., Saryanc V.V., Sonkin V.D., Tonevitsky A.G., “Thermal "portrait" of sportsmen with different aerobic capacity” Acta Kinesiologica. 14(1).pp.7-
16,2009.
Thermal Stimuli
Almeida Ferreira, José & Mendonça, Lorena & Nunes, Luiz & Filho, Antônio & Rebelatto, José & Salvini, Tania. (2008). Exercise-Associated Thermographic Changes in Young and Elderly Subjects.
Annals of biomedical engineering. 36. 1420-7. 10.1007/s10439-008-9512-1.
Thermal Stimuli
Thermal Stimuli
Thermal Stimuli
Silva, Alisson & Albuquerque, Maicon & Brito, Ciro & Martins Stroppa, Guilherme & Oliveira, Samuel & Quintana, Manuel & Marins, João. (2022). Effect of Whole-, Upper-, and Lower-Body High-
Intensity Rowing Exercise on Skin Temperature Measured by Thermography. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 1-11. 10.1080/02701367.2021.1964696.
Thermal Stimuli
Thermal Stimuli
Thermal Stimuli
Fernandes, A.A. & Amorim, Paulo & Brito, Ciro & Gomes de Moura, Anselmo & Gomes Moreira, Danilo & Amaral Costa, Carlos Magno & Quintana, Manuel & Marins, Joao. (2014). Measuring skin
temperature before, during and after exercise: A comparison of thermocouples and infrared thermography. Physiological measurement. 35. 189-203. 10.1088/0967-3334/35/2/189.
Thermal Stimuli
Fernandes, A.A. & Amorim, Paulo & Brito, Ciro & Gomes de Moura, Anselmo & Gomes Moreira, Danilo & Amaral Costa, Carlos Magno & Quintana, Manuel & Marins, Joao. (2014). Measuring skin
temperature before, during and after exercise: A comparison of thermocouples and infrared thermography. Physiological measurement. 35. 189-203. 10.1088/0967-3334/35/2/189.
The evaluation made with
thermography before the
performance of any physical
activity shows us that the
average body temperature is
around 35°C for head.
And both the upper and lower segments have more or less the
same average temperature, which is normal since there was no
performance of any physical activity that could lead to any change
in temperature by any of these segments.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND THERMOREGULATION
The main heat loss from the body during exercise occurs through sweating and
evaporation of sweat.
0.580 Kcal is lost with the evaporation of 1 g of sweat from the skin surface.
Pugh et al. stated that a marathon runner running in hot weather in England sweats
about 1800 cc per hour.
Costil et al. calculated that in the selection of the American marathon, the marathon
runner lost 6.1 kg of body weight and sweated 1.09 L per m² body surface per hour.
Ünal, M. & All., A. (2011). Sicak Ve Soğuk Ortamda Egzersiz (Ii) . Journal Of Istanbul Faculty Of Medicine , 65 (4) .
PERFORMANCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
2'30'' min of exercise broken into 30'' intervals
1st medium skipping
2nd skipping high
3rd jump squat
4th burpees w/ jump
5th 2 sprints of 30m

We can observe that soon after the
performance of a certain number of physical
activities the thermography detected a change
in the average temperature, where the E1
segment now appears with a lower
temperature than before. (-1,3oC)
During exercise and sportive activities, the

body's energy becomes heat energy and
removes from the body. Many factors can
prevent heat dissipation and sweat.
Ünal, M. & All., A. (2011). Sicak Ve Soğuk Ortamda Egzersiz (Ii) .
Journal Of Istanbul Faculty Of Medicine , 65 (4).
The same happens with
segments EI2, EI3 and EI4, which
now have an average
temperature lower than
segment EI5, depending on the
types of exercises that were
performed.
E1 -1,8 oC (chest)
E2 -2,2 oC (abdomen)
E3 -0,8 oC (arms/biceps)
E4 -1,5 oC (forearm)
E5 -0,5 oC (thigh/quadriceps)
We verified that after 5 minutes
resting, the temperature
measurement in thermography shows
us a more balanced average
temperature of the EI1,EI2 and EI3
segments, with EI4 with an average to
low temperature compared to the
previous state and EI5 also with an
average temperature that comes
down. (-1 oC)
E1 -2,4 oC (chest)
E2 -3,2 oC (abdomen)
E3 -1,5 oC (arms/biceps)
E4 -2,2 oC (forearm)
E5 -0,7 oC (thigh/quadriceps)
Due to this resting time, there was a

greater release of heat compared to the
previous stages.
AVERAGE BODY TEMPERATURE VALUES
AVERAGE BODY TEMPERATURE VALUES

Segments Pre-exercise Post-exercise After 5 minutes resting
E1 (head) 34,9 oC 33,6 oC 33,9 oC
E1 (chest) 34,7 oC 32,9 oC 32,5 oC
E2 (abdomen) 35,2 oC 33,0 oC 32,0 oC
E3 (arms/biceps) 34,0 oC 33,2 oC 32,5 oC
E4 (forearm) 33,9 oC 32,4 oC 31,7 oC
E5 (thigh/quadriceps) 34,0 oC 33,5 oC 33,3 oC

REFERENCES
1. Almeida Ferreira, José & Mendonça, Lorena & Nunes, Luiz & Filho, Antônio & Rebelatto, José & Salvini, Tania. (2008). Exercise-Associated
Thermographic Changes in Young and Elderly Subjects. Annals of biomedical engineering. 36. 1420-7. 10.1007/s10439-008-9512-1.
2. Akimov E.B., Andreev R.S., Arkov V.V., Kirdin A.A., Saryanc V.V., Sonkin V.D., Tonevitsky A.G., “Thermal "portrait" of sportsmen with different
aerobic capacity” Acta Kinesiologica. 14(1).pp.7-16,2009.
3. Fernandes, A.A. & Amorim, Paulo & Brito, Ciro & Gomes de Moura, Anselmo & Gomes Moreira, Danilo & Amaral Costa, Carlos Magno & Quintana,
Manuel & Marins, Joao. (2014). Measuring skin temperature before, during and after exercise: A comparison of thermocouples and infrared
thermography. Physiological measurement. 35. 189-203. 10.1088/0967-3334/35/2/189.
4. Hildebrandt, Carolin & Zeilberger, Karlheinz & Ring, E.F.J. & Raschner, Christian. (2012). The Application of Medical Infrared Thermography in Sports
Medicine. 10.5772/28383.
5. Lahiri, B. B., Bagavathiappan, S., Jayakumar, T., & Philip, J. (2012). Medical applications of infrared thermography: A review. Infrared physics &
technology, 55(4), 221–235.
6. Ünal, M. & All., A. (2011). Sicak Ve Soğuk Ortamda Egzersiz (Ii) . Journal Of Istanbul Faculty Of Medicine , 65 (4).
7. Rojas-Valverde, D., Tomás-Carús, P., Timón, R., Batalha, N., Sánchez-Ureña, B., Gutiérrez-Vargas, R., & Olcina, G. (2021). Short-Term Skin
Temperature Responses to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Review of Methods and Future Challenges in the Use of Infrared Thermography. Life
(Basel, Switzerland), 11(12), 1286.

REFERENCES
8. Silva, Alisson & Albuquerque, Maicon & Brito, Ciro & Martins Stroppa, Guilherme & Oliveira, Samuel & Quintana, Manuel & Marins, João. (2022).
Effect of Whole-, Upper-, and Lower-Body High-Intensity Rowing Exercise on Skin Temperature Measured by Thermography. Research Quarterly for
Exercise and Sport. 1-11. 10.1080/02701367.2021.1964696.
9. Tattersall, Glenn J. (2016). Infrared thermography: A non-invasive window into thermal physiology. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A:
Molecular & Integrative Physiology.

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MESTRADO EM EXERCÍCIO E SAÚDE

MERVE ALTINTAŞ – M53914

Infrared thermography is a valid tool that

In medicine, the applications of this

In addition, the athlete had a history of osteochondrosis at the tibial

Images were taken within the scope of a team screening.

Upon enquiry, no signs of venous disease were reported.

Long term evaluation

The ROI (region of interest) was

The temperature above the exercising

To meet the increased metabolic demand

Akimov et al. obtained significant

2'30'' min of exercise broken into 30'' intervals

1st medium skipping

2nd skipping high

3rd jump squat

4th burpees w/ jump

5th 2 sprints of 30m

During exercise and sportive activities, the

Due to this resting time, there was a

E1 (head) 34,9 oC 33,6 oC 33,9 oC

E1 (chest) 34,7 oC 32,9 oC 32,5 oC

E2 (abdomen) 35,2 oC 33,0 oC 32,0 oC

E3 (arms/biceps) 34,0 oC 33,2 oC 32,5 oC

E4 (forearm) 33,9 oC 32,4 oC 31,7 oC

E5 (thigh/quadriceps) 34,0 oC 33,5 oC 33,3 oC

aerobic capacity” Acta Kinesiologica. 14(1).pp.7-16,2009.

thermography. Physiological measurement. 35. 189-203. 10.1088/0967-3334/35/2/189.

(Basel, Switzerland), 11(12), 1286.

Exercise and Sport. 1-11. 10.1080/02701367.2021.1964696.

Molecular & Integrative Physiology.

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