Skin temperature measured by infrared thermography (IRT) reflects a state of dynamic equilibrium, in which structures such as the vascular system, through peripheral blood perfusion, play a major role.

These systems are altered by activities of daily living and by the work environment. In occupational risk prevention, thermography is a tool with a long track record. Its main fields of application have made it possible to assess the most common tasks performed in a job and the physical consequences of the prolonged use of work tools (for example, instruments that generate vibration or construction tools), as well as the impact of sustained postures and ergonomics on sick leave, a pressing issue for companies and insurers.

A new study has sought to clarify the main advantages of using thermography in occupational health and the rigorous use of its metrics. For us, it has been a point of reflection on how this use transfers to sport.

The work by Ribeiro et al. (2026) defines the methodological foundations for turning the thermal response into an objective decision-making tool. Its clinical and research value rests on three scientifically validated metrics that allow human movement to be analysed (in this case, at work):

• Bilateral asymmetry: Compares homologous regions between both sides of the body to avoid the bias of absolute values. ThermoHuman automatically analyses more than 100 ROIs and displays their asymmetry values.
• Task- or intervention-induced difference (Delta T): Quantifies the thermal change before and after a specific physical or postural demand. It makes it possible to identify heat patterns, associated with increased perfusion or superficial inflammation, and cold patterns, associated with vasoconstriction, hypoperfusion or vasomotor dysfunction. ThermoHuman offers several tools to explore this use in depth, such as the app’s pre-post analysis.
• Recovery dynamics: Records the time curve the tissue needs to return to its baseline after an intervention, exertion or injury. In this regard, our scientific research supports the use of ThermoHuman for injury monitoring and return to competition.

In occupational health, these variables solve practical problems related to physical overload. IRT works as a screening and longitudinal monitoring tool for repetitive tasks or prolonged static postures:

• In offices, it makes it possible to assess biomechanical overload in the wrists, hands and forearms caused by intensive keyboard and mouse use, and to objectively measure the real impact of management interventions in occupational risk prevention.
• In industrial settings, it maps regional responses after heavy manual work or overhead tasks. It is also particularly useful in exposure to mechanical vibration (hand-arm vibration syndrome), where cold provocation protocols and rewarming curves detect early neurovascular alterations.
• In professions that require prolonged high-precision motor skills, such as surgeons or instrumental musicians, thermographic analysis is highly useful.

Thermography becomes even more valuable when integrated with other technologies such as ultrasound. IRT acts as a quick superficial thermal map that guides probe placement toward the areas with the greatest metabolic or vascular alteration, allowing ultrasound to analyse the deep structure and the specific tissue.

With electromyography (EMG) and dynamometry: while EMG and dynamometry assess neuromuscular fatigue and mechanical performance, thermography provides the underlying vascular and autonomic response of the same body segment.

Direct transfer to sport

The physical demands of an industrial worker and those of an elite athlete share a common physiological basis: peripheral fatigue, mechanical stress, tissue adaptation and repetitive movement patterns specific to the task or sport (consider injury epidemiology as a map of the regions most at risk in each sport).

For this reason, the descriptions above transfer directly to high performance. Thermography can:

• Characterise the baseline asymmetries specific to each discipline and detect abnormal deviations from the individual pattern.
• Measure the thermal response after a training load or competition, providing information on the fatigue produced so that load and recovery strategies can be adjusted.
• Monitor the biological evolution of the tissue during rehabilitation to support objective return-to-play decisions.

Thermography should not be interpreted as an infallible test for detecting potential injuries. Its true role is to add a layer of objective physiological information alongside clinical symptoms, load monitoring, strength tests and diagnostic imaging, in order to inform on the athlete’s status.

For this reading to be reliable, standardisation must be strict: a controlled environment, reproducible camera positioning, precise ROI definition and consistent assessment times.

A thermal alert on its own may not be useful, but it can help us look more closely at a change in our athletes’ trends and act in time against potential later losses in performance.

Reference:
Ribeiro, J. A. S., et al. (2026). Standardizing infrared thermography for occupational applications: a scoping review. Exploration of Musculoskeletal Diseases. https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/emd/Article/1007122