Monitoring the athlete’s internal load is a fundamental mechanism to prevent the injury risk, especially after a quarantine period (Halson, 2014).
Thermography helps us to detect changes in skin temperature that are related to inner tissue physiological modifications. Bad load assimilation may create thermal asymmetries that can be easily detected, quantified and tracked over the time using thermography (Fernández Cuevas et al., 2017).
Infrared thermography is a technology that measures the temperature of the skin and stands out because it is fast, non-invasive and offers objective data. Both thermal asymmetry between contralateral regions and a significant decrease or increase over a period may indicate an increased risk of injury, as described by Tumilty et al in a study on Achilles tendon with thermography (2019).
The key is that the temperature provides us with objective and quantifiable information on the physiological state of the tissues. Its variation is closely related to the individual and localized assimilation of the load. That is why it becomes a key tool for injury prevention, as well as for monitoring injuries and return to play decisions (Hildebrandt et al., 2012).
References
ThermoHuman has had the support of the Funds of the European Union and the Community of Madrid through the Operational Programme on Youth Employment. Likewise, ThermoHuman within the framework of the Export Initiation Program of ICEX NEXT, had the support of ICEX and the co-financing of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Thermohuman has received funding from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), in participation with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), for the R+D activities involved in creating a new tool, based on thermography, for the prediction and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis. See project detail.
