Infrared thermography has established itself as a valuable tool in the sports field, especially in professional football, for both injury prevention and management. This article focuses on the applications and differences in the use of thermography between a club team and a national team.

What is Infrared Thermography?

Infrared thermography is a technique that allows the measurement of skin temperature through thermal images. These images capture temperature variations that can indicate the presence of inflammation, injuries, or muscle fatigue. Its main advantage is that it is a non-invasive, fast technology that provides objective data, facilitating continuous monitoring of the players’ physical condition.

Main Applications of Thermography

• Injury Prevention
• Injury Monitoring
• Fatigue Assessment

These applications adapt to the specific needs of both club teams and national teams.

Applications in Club Teams

Club teams have the advantage of having the same players throughout the season. This context allows for longitudinal studies and continuous monitoring. The main applications of thermography in this environment include:

• Injury Prevention: By monitoring players daily, thermal imbalances that indicate a potential injury risk can be identified. Early interventions can prevent these discomforts from becoming more serious injuries. According to a study, it is estimated that proper prevention and management can reduce the risk of muscle injuries by up to 70% (Ekstrand et al., 2009).
• Recovery Monitoring: After an injury, thermography allows continuous evaluation of the recovery process, adjusting treatment according to individual needs.
• Performance Optimization: Identifying states of muscle fatigue through thermal changes enables coaches to adjust training loads to avoid overtraining and improve competition performance.

Applications in National Teams

In the case of a national team, the dynamic is different due to the nature of the camps and the variability of the called-up players. The most relevant applications of thermography in this context are:

• Physical Condition Assessment: Since players arrive from different teams and with different fitness levels, thermography allows for a quick and objective evaluation of each player’s physical condition at the beginning of the camps.
• Short-Term Injury Prevention: During tournaments or short camps, thermography helps identify incipient problems that can be quickly treated, preventing them from developing into injuries during the competitive period.
• Workload Management: In competitions like the World Cup or the Euro Cup, where matches are frequent and recovery time is limited, thermography provides crucial data to adjust the workload and avoid overexertion.

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