An Overview of Recent Application of Medical Infrared Thermography in Sports Medicine in Austria
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paper_title: The Role of Thermography in the Management of Equine Lameness

paper_content:

Equine thermography has increased in popularity recently because of improvements in thermal cameras and advances in image-processing software. The basic principle of thermography involves the transformation of surface heat from an object into a pictorial representation. The colour gradients generated reflect differences in the emitted heat. Variations from normal can be used to detect lameness or regions of inflammation in horses. Units can be so sensitive that flexor tendon injuries can be detected before the horse develops clinical lameness. Thermography has been used to evaluate several different clinical syndromes not only in the diagnosis of inflammation but also to monitor the progression of healing. Thermography has important applications in research for the detection of illegal performance-enhancing procedures at athletic events.
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paper_title: Diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon by thermography

paper_content:

Background/aims: The aim was to clarify whether cold fingers before a moderate cold stress test can predict a prolonged delay (more than 20 min) in rewarming, as diagnostic for Raynaud's phenomenon. ::: ::: ::: ::: Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 71 patients suspected of suffering from Raynaud's phenomenon. The thermal gradient from the metacarpophalangeal joints to the finger tips was calculated for each finger and cold fingers were defined by a temperature difference of more than −0.5°2C. ::: ::: ::: ::: Results: Combining the frequencies of cold fingers with a diagnosis Raynaud's phenomenon resulted in a sensitivity of 78.4%, a specificity of 72.4% and diagnostic accuracy of 74.0%. ::: ::: ::: ::: Conclusion: Based on a positive predictive value of 58.5%, it was concluded, that a prolonged delay of rewarming after a cold stress test cannot be predicted sufficiently by the presence of cold fingers alone, and that a cold stress test is necessary to confirm the diagnosis objectively.
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paper_title: The effect of perineural anesthesia on infrared thermographic images of the forelimb digits of normal horses

paper_content:

Infrared thermography is an imaging modality gaining popularity as a diagnostic aid in the evaluation of equine lameness. Anecdotal reports of skin hyperthermia induced by local anesthesia, detected by thermography, have been made; however, no controlled studies have been reported. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of perineural anesthesia on infrared thermographic images of the forelimb digits in normal horses. After environmental acclimation, infrared thermographs were made at intervals of 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min from administration of mepivacaine hydrochloride or phosphate buffered saline in 6 adult horses with no clinical evidence of abnormality of the forelimb digits. The mean limb surface temperatures were compared by 2-factor ANOVA. Results indicated no significant difference between treatments, time after injection, or an interaction of time and treatment. Infrared thermographic imaging apparently can be performed within 45 min of perineural mepivacaine hydrochloride anesthesia without risk of artifactual changes in limb surface temperature.
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paper_title: Infrared thermography: applications in heart surgery

paper_content:

Infrared thermography has become a way to monitor thermal abnormalities present in number of diseases and physical injuries. It is used as an aid to diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Results obtained using the last generation of equipment (computer assisted thermographic systems, detectors without liquid nitrogen cooling system) and new techniques as dynamic thermography with independent source of driving radiation shows that it is a reliable tool for medical assessment and diagnosis. Most important--the Infrared Thermography is a non-invasive measurement technique, with non-stress for patients. This paper describes Intraoperative Thermoangiography during coronary bypass surgery.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
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paper_title: Alpine skiing injuries. A nine-year study.

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Injury patterns in alpine skiing have changed over time as ski, boot, binding, and slope-grooming technologies have evolved. We retrospectively examined injury patterns in alpine skiers over a 9-year period at the Mammoth and June mountains (California) ski area. A total of 24,340 injuries were reported for the 9 seasons studied, and total lift tickets sold numbered 9,201,486. The overall injury rate was 2.6 injuries per 1,000 skier days and increased slowly over the period studied. The knee was the most frequently injured area at 35% of all injuries. Increasing trends (P < .05) were noted for the rates of lower extremity injuries (37%) and knee injuries (45%). A decreasing trend was noted for the rate of lacerations (31% decrease). Slight increases were noted in upper extremity and axial injury rates. Skiing injuries continue to be a worrisome recreational problem despite improvements in ski equipment and slope-grooming techniques. The increasing trend in lower extremity, particularly knee, injury rates highlights the need for continued skier education and equipment innovation.
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paper_title: Breast Thermography Is a Noninvasive Prognostic Procedure That Predicts Tumor Growth Rate in Breast Cancer Patients

paper_content:

Our recent retrospective analysis of the clinical records of patients who had breast thermography demonstrated that an abnormal thermogram was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and a poorer prognosis for the breast cancer patient. This study included 100 normal patients, 100 living cancer patients, and 126 deceased cancer patients. Abnormal thermograms included asymmetric focal hot spots, areolar and periareolar heat, diffuse global heat, vessel discrepancy, or thermographic edge sign. Incidence and prognosis were directly related to thermographic results: only 28% of the noncancer patients had an abnormal thermogram, compared to 65% of living cancer patients and 88% of deceased cancer patients. Further studies were undertaken to determine if thermography is an independent prognostic indicator. Comparison to the components of the TNM classification system showed that only clinical size was significantly larger (p = 0.006) in patients with abnormal thermograms. Age, menopausal status, and location of tumor (left or right breast) were not related to thermographic results. Progesterone and estrogen receptor status was determined by both the cytosol-DCC and immunocytochemical methods, and neither receptor status showed any clear relationship to the thermographic results. Prognostic indicators that are known to be related to tumor growth rate were then compared to thermographic results. The concentration of ferritin in the tumor was significantly higher (p = 0.021) in tumors from patients with abnormal thermograms (1512 +/- 2027, n = 50) compared to tumors from patients with normal thermograms (762 +/- 620, n = 21). Both the proportion of cells in DNA synthesis (S-phase) and proliferating (S-phase plus G2M-phase, proliferative index) were significantly higher in patients with abnormal thermograms. The expression of the proliferation-associated tumor antigen Ki-67 was also associated with an abnormal thermogram. The strong relationships of thermographic results with these three growth rate-related prognostic indicators suggest that breast cancer patients with abnormal thermograms have faster-growing tumors that are more likely to have metastasized and to recur with a shorter disease-free interval.
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paper_title: Thermography in the diagnosis of inflammatory processes in the horse.

paper_content:

To evaluate the use of thermography in equine medicine, a three-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, six horses were examined thermographically, before and after exercise, to determine a normal thermal pattern. In the second phase, nine horses with acute and chronic inflammatory processes were examined thermographically. In the third phase, thermography was used to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs on chemically induced inflammatory reactions. All normal horses tested had similar infrared emission patterns. There was a high degree of symmetry between right and left and between front (dorsal) to rear (palmar, plantar) in the legs distal to the carpus and the tarsus. The warmer areas of the thermogram tended to follow major vascular structures. The coronary band was the warmest area of the leg. Heat increase due to exercise did not substantially alter the normal thermographic pattern. Use of thermography in clinical cases successfully detected a subluxation of the third lumbar vertebra, a subsolar abscess, alveolar periostitis and abscess, laminitis, serous arthritis of the femoropatellar joint, and tendonitis. Thermography was effective in quantitative and qualitative evaluation of anti-inflammatory compounds in the treatment of chemically induced inflammation.
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paper_title: Infrared thermography for examination of skin temperature in the dorsal hand of office workers

paper_content:

Reduced blood flow may contribute to the pathophysiology of upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSD), such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. The study objective was to characterize potential differences in cutaneous temperature, among three groups of office workers assessed by dynamic thermography following a 9-min typing challenge: those with UEMSD, with ( n=6) or without ( n=10) cold hands exacerbated by keyboard use, and control subjects ( n=12). Temperature images of the metacarpal region of the dorsal hand were obtained 1 min before typing, and during three 2-min sample periods [0-2 min (early), 3-5 min (middle), and 8-10 min (late)] after typing. Mean temperature increased from baseline levels immediately after typing by a similar magnitude, 0.7 (0.3) degrees C in controls and 0.6 (0.2) degrees C in UEMSD cases without cold hands, but only by 0.1 (0.3) degrees C in those with cold hands. Using paired t-tests for within group comparisons of mean dorsal temperature between successive imaging periods, three patterns of temperature change were apparent during 10 min following typing. Controls further increased mean temperature by 0.1 degrees C ( t-test, P=0.001) at 3-5 min post-typing before a late temperature decline of -0.3 degrees C ( t-test, P=0.04), while cases without cold hands showed no change from initial post-typing mean temperature rise during middle or late periods. In contrast, subjects with keyboard-induced cold hands had no change from initial post-typing temperature until a decrease at the late period of -0.3 degrees C ( t-test, P=0.06). Infrared thermography appears to distinguish between the three groups of subjects, with keyboard-induced cold hand symptoms presumably due, at least partially, to reduced blood flow.
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paper_title: Human thermal models for evaluating infrared images

paper_content:

Discusses comparing infrared images under various thermal environmental conditions through normalization of skin surface temperature. To evaluate IR images obtained under various thermal environmental conditions, we proposed a human thermal model with which IR images obtained under certain thermal environmental conditions can be converted into images under other conditions. The model was based on a numerical calculation of the bio-heat transfer equations that express heat transfer phenomena within the human body. A 16-cylinder-segment model was used as the geometry of the human body. Comparisons of IR images with their converted images indicate that this method is effective in eliminating the influence of the thermal environmental conditions. However, the difference between the converted images and the original ones varies among segments. In future work, we will use this method to investigate the IR images of several subjects under various thermal environments.
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paper_title: A perspective on medical infrared imaging.

paper_content:

Since the early days of thermography in the 1950s, image processing techniques, sensitivity of thermal sensors and spatial resolution have progressed greatly, holding out fresh promise for infrared (IR) imaging techniques. Applications in civil, industrial and healthcare fields are thus reaching a high level of technical performance. The relationship between body temperature and disease was documented since 400 bc. In many diseases there are variations in blood flow, and these in turn affect the skin temperature. IR imaging offers a useful and non-invasive approach to the diagnosis and treatment (as therapeutic aids) of many disorders, in particular in the areas of rheumatology, dermatology, orthopaedics and circulatory abnormalities. This paper reviews many usages (and hence the limitations) of thermography in biomedical fields.
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paper_title: Spectral emissivity of skin and pericardium.

paper_content:

A monochromator was modified to measure the emissivity, e(λ), of living tissue in the infrared region between 1 and 14 μm. The infrared radiation from the tissue was compared with blackbody radiation and in this way e(λ) has been determined for white skin, black skin, burnt skin and pericardium. A compensating skin thermometer was constructed to measure the temperature of the surface of the tissue. The temperature difference before and after contact between a gold ring and the surface was made as small as possible (0.05 K). A reference radiator with the same spectral radiance (experimentally determined) mas used in compensating for the environment. It appeared that e(λ) for skin is independent of the wavelength and equal to 0.98+-0.01. These results contradict those of Elam, Goodwin and Lloyd Williams, but are in good agreement with those of Hardy and Watmough and Oliver. In addition there was no difference between e(λ) for normal skin and burnt skin. Epicardium values were found to lie between 0.83 (fresh heart) and 0.90 (after 7 h and after 9 d).
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paper_title: Convective Heat Transfer and Infrared Thermography (IRTh)

paper_content:

The paper deals with the application of the infrared thermography to the determination of the convective heat transfer coefficient in complex flow configurations. The fundamental principles upon which the IRTh relies are reviewed. The different methods developed to evaluate the heat exchange are described and illustrated through applications to the aerospace and aeronautical field as well as to the industrial processes.
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paper_title: An Accurate and Reliable Method of Thermal Data Analysis in Thermal Imaging of the Anterior Knee for Use in Cryotherapy Research

paper_content:

Abstract Selfe J, Hardaker N, Thewlis D, Karki A. An accurate and reliable method of thermal data analysis in thermal imaging of the anterior knee for use in cryotherapy research. Objective To develop an anatomic marker system (AMS) as an accurate, reliable method of thermal imaging data analysis, for use in cryotherapy research. Design Investigation of the accuracy of new thermal imaging technique. Setting Hospital orthopedic outpatient department in England. Participants Consecutive sample of 9 patients referred to anterior knee pain clinic. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Thermally inert markers were placed at specific anatomic locations, defining an area over the anterior knee of patients with anterior knee pain. A baseline thermal image was taken. Patients underwent a 3-minute thermal washout of the affected knee. Thermal images were collected at a rate of 1 image per minute for a 20-minute re-warming period. A Matlab (version 7.0) program was written to digitize the marker positions and subsequently calculate the mean of the area over the anterior knee. Virtual markers were then defined as 15% distal from the proximal marker, 30% proximal from the distal markers, 15% lateral from the medial marker, and 15% medial from the lateral marker. The virtual markers formed an ellipse, which defined an area representative of the patella shape. Within the ellipse, the mean value of the full pixels determined the mean temperature of this region. Ten raters were recruited to use the program and interrater reliability was investigated. Results The intraclass correlation coefficient produced coefficients within acceptable bounds, ranging from .82 to .97, indicating adequate interrater reliability. Conclusions The AMS provides an accurate, reliable method for thermal imaging data analysis and is a reliable tool with which to advance cryotherapy research.
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paper_title: Reliability of Fingertip Skin-surface Temperature and its Related Thermal Measures as Indices of Peripheral Perfusion in the Clinical Setting of the Operating Theatre

paper_content:

During the perioperative period, evaluation of digital blood flow would be useful in early detection of decreased circulating volume, thermoregulatory responses or anaphylactoid reactions, and assessment of the effects of vasoactive agents. This study was designed to assess the reliability of fingertip temperature, core-fingertip temperature gradients and fingertip-forearm temperature gradients as indices of fingertip blood flow in the clinical setting of the operating theatre. In 22 adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery with general anaesthesia, fingertip skin-surface temperature, forearm skin-surface temperature, and nasopharyngeal temperature were measured every five minutes during the surgery. Fingertip skin-surface blood flow was simultaneously estimated using laser Doppler flowmetry. These measurements were made in the same upper limb with an IV catheter (+IV group, n = 11) or without an IV catheter (-IV group, n=11). Fingertip blood flow, transformed to a logarithmic scale, significantly correlated with any of the three thermal measures in both the groups. Their rank order as an index of fingertip blood flow in the -IV group was forearm-fingertip temperature gradient (r=-0.86) > fingertip temperature (r=0.83) > nasopharyngeal-fingertip temperature gradient (r=-0.82), while that in the +IV group was nasopharyngeal-fingertip temperature gradient (r=-0.77) > fingertip temperature (r=0.71) > forearm-fingertip temperature gradient (r=-0.66). The relation of fingertip blood flow to each thermal measure in the -IV group was stronger (P<0.05) than that in the +IV group. In the clinical setting of the operating theatre, using the upper limb without IV catheters, fingertip skin-surface temperature, nasopharyngeal-fingertip temperature gradients, and forearm-fingertip temperature gradients are almost equally reliable measures of fingertip skin-surface blood flow.
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paper_title: Reproducibility of infrared thermography measurements in healthy individuals.

paper_content:

The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of skin surface infrared thermography (IRT) measurements and determine the factors influencing the variability of the measured values. While IRT has been widely utilized in different clinical conditions, there are few available data on the values of the skin temperature patterns of healthy subjects and their reproducibility. We recorded the whole body skin temperatures of sixteen healthy young men with two observers on two consecutive days. The results were compared using intra-class correlations analyses (ICC). The inter-examiner reproducibility of the IRT measurements was high: mean ICC 0.88 (0.73-0.99). The day-to-day stability of thermal patterns varied depending on the measured area: it was high in the core and poor in distal areas. The reproducibility of the side-to-side temperature differences (deltaT) was moderately good between the two observers (mean ICC 0.68) but it was reduced with time, especially in the extremities, mean ICC 0.4 (-0.01-0.83). The results suggest that the IRT technique may represent an objective quantifiable indicator of autonomic disturbances although there are considerable temporal variations in the measured values which are due to both technical factors such as equipment accuracy, measurement environment and technique, and physiological variability of the blood flow, and these factors should be taken into account.
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paper_title: An Accurate and Reliable Method of Thermal Data Analysis in Thermal Imaging of the Anterior Knee for Use in Cryotherapy Research

paper_content:

Abstract Selfe J, Hardaker N, Thewlis D, Karki A. An accurate and reliable method of thermal data analysis in thermal imaging of the anterior knee for use in cryotherapy research. Objective To develop an anatomic marker system (AMS) as an accurate, reliable method of thermal imaging data analysis, for use in cryotherapy research. Design Investigation of the accuracy of new thermal imaging technique. Setting Hospital orthopedic outpatient department in England. Participants Consecutive sample of 9 patients referred to anterior knee pain clinic. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Thermally inert markers were placed at specific anatomic locations, defining an area over the anterior knee of patients with anterior knee pain. A baseline thermal image was taken. Patients underwent a 3-minute thermal washout of the affected knee. Thermal images were collected at a rate of 1 image per minute for a 20-minute re-warming period. A Matlab (version 7.0) program was written to digitize the marker positions and subsequently calculate the mean of the area over the anterior knee. Virtual markers were then defined as 15% distal from the proximal marker, 30% proximal from the distal markers, 15% lateral from the medial marker, and 15% medial from the lateral marker. The virtual markers formed an ellipse, which defined an area representative of the patella shape. Within the ellipse, the mean value of the full pixels determined the mean temperature of this region. Ten raters were recruited to use the program and interrater reliability was investigated. Results The intraclass correlation coefficient produced coefficients within acceptable bounds, ranging from .82 to .97, indicating adequate interrater reliability. Conclusions The AMS provides an accurate, reliable method for thermal imaging data analysis and is a reliable tool with which to advance cryotherapy research.
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paper_title: Reproducibility of infrared thermography measurements in healthy individuals.

paper_content:

The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of skin surface infrared thermography (IRT) measurements and determine the factors influencing the variability of the measured values. While IRT has been widely utilized in different clinical conditions, there are few available data on the values of the skin temperature patterns of healthy subjects and their reproducibility. We recorded the whole body skin temperatures of sixteen healthy young men with two observers on two consecutive days. The results were compared using intra-class correlations analyses (ICC). The inter-examiner reproducibility of the IRT measurements was high: mean ICC 0.88 (0.73-0.99). The day-to-day stability of thermal patterns varied depending on the measured area: it was high in the core and poor in distal areas. The reproducibility of the side-to-side temperature differences (deltaT) was moderately good between the two observers (mean ICC 0.68) but it was reduced with time, especially in the extremities, mean ICC 0.4 (-0.01-0.83). The results suggest that the IRT technique may represent an objective quantifiable indicator of autonomic disturbances although there are considerable temporal variations in the measured values which are due to both technical factors such as equipment accuracy, measurement environment and technique, and physiological variability of the blood flow, and these factors should be taken into account.
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paper_title: Activity-related knee injuries and pain in athletic adolescents

paper_content:

By collecting data from 45 students at a ski high school, we found that a total of 73% of the students reported activity-related pain/injuries of the knee. Sixty-one percent had overuse injuries, 27% malalignment, and 12% had indistinct knee pain. Females suffered more knee pain/injuries (88%) than males (57%). Significantly higher Q-angle degrees were recorded for females (16 ) than for males (10 ). "Jumper's knee" was found in all competitive students with a KT manual maximum difference (MMD) of 3 mm or more (mean 4 mm), with a hard endpoint, whereas this was less common among the other competitive students (P<0.05). The students were given counselling about training and physiotherapy. In the follow-up study 1 year later, a significant reduction of knee pain/overuse injuries, from 73% to 35%, was recorded. This may be related to better equipment, the development of techniques, and training of the muscles. A high volume of training and knee instability, with MMD of 3 mm or more, seemed to be correlated with an increased risk for "jumper's knee" and, possibly, for skiing injuries. By identifying those at increased risk, pre-season recommendations can be made and ski injuries may be prevented.
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paper_title: A 7-year study on risks and costs of knee injuries in male and female youth participants in 12 sports

paper_content:

Knee injuries are common and account in various sports for 15-50% of all sports injuries. The cost of knee injuries is therefore a large part of the cost for medical care of sports injuries. Furthermore, the risk of acquiring a knee injury during sports is considered higher for females than for males. The nationwide organization "Youth and Sports" represents the major source of organized sports and recreation for Swiss youth and engages annually around 370000 participants in the age group of 14 to 20 years. The purpose of this study was to combine data on knee injuries from two sources, the first being data on the exposure to risk found in the activity registration in "Youth and Sports" and the second injuries with their associated costs resulting from the activities and filed at the Swiss Military Insurance. This allowed calculation of knee injury incidences, to compare risks between males and females and to estimate the costs of medical treatment. The study comprises 3864 knee injuries from 12 sports during 7 years. Females were significantly more at risk in six sports: alpinism, downhill skiing, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball and team handball. The incidences of knee injuries and of cruciate ligament injuries in particular, together with the costs per hour of participation, all displayed the same sports as the top five for both females and males: ice hockey, team handball, soccer, downhill skiing and basketball. Female alpinism and gymnastics had also high rankings. Knee injuries comprised 10% of all injuries in males and 13% in females, but their proportional contribution to the costs per hour of participation was 27% and 33%, respectively. From this study it can be concluded that females were significantly more at risk for knee injuries than males in six sports and that knee injuries accounted for a high proportion of the costs of medical treatment.
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paper_title: Dynamic Thermography: Analysis of Hand Temperature During Exercise

paper_content:

AbstractExercise has a noted effect on skin blood flow and temperature. We aimed to characterize the normal skin temperature response to exercise by thermographic imaging. A study was conducted on ten healthy and active subjects (age=25.8 ± 0.7 years) who were exposed to graded exercise for determination of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max), and subsequently to constant loads corresponding to 50%, 70%, and 90% of VO2 max. The skin temperature response during 20 min of constant load exercise is characterized by an initial descending limb, an ascending limb and a quasi-steady-state period. For 50% VO2 the temperature decrease rate was --0.0075±0.001°C/s during a time interval of 390 ±47 s and the temperature increase rate was 0.0055 ± 0.0031 °C/s during a time interval of 484 ±99 s. The level of load did not influence the temperature decrease and increase rates. In contrast, during graded load exercise, a continuous temperature decrease of --0.0049 ± 0.0032 °C/s was observed throughout the test. In summary, the thermographic skin response to exercise is characterized by a specific pattern which reflects the dynamic balance between hemodynamic and thermoregulatory processes. © 1998 Biomedical Engineering Society. ::: PAC98: 8722Pg, 8759Wc, 8745Dr, 0180+b, 8745Hw
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paper_title: Mathematical modeling of temperature mapping over skin surface and its implementation in thermal disease diagnostics

paper_content:

Abstract In non-invasive thermal diagnostics, accurate correlations between the thermal image on skin surface and interior human pathophysiology are often desired, which require general solutions for the bioheat equation. In this study, the Monte Carlo method was implemented to solve the transient three-dimensional bio-heat transfer problem with non-linear boundary conditions (simultaneously with convection, radiation and evaporation) and space-dependent thermal physiological parameters. Detailed computations indicated that the thermal states of biological bodies, reflecting physiological conditions, could be correlated to the temperature or heat flux mapping recorded at the skin surface. The effect of the skin emissivity and humidity, the convective heat transfer coefficient, the relative humidity and temperature of the surrounding air, the metabolic rate and blood perfusion rate in the tumor, and the tumor size and number on the sensitivity of thermography are comprehensively investigated. Moreover, several thermal criteria for disease diagnostic were proposed based on statistical principles. Implementations of this study for the clinical thermal diagnostics are discussed.
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paper_title: A perspective on medical infrared imaging.

paper_content:

Since the early days of thermography in the 1950s, image processing techniques, sensitivity of thermal sensors and spatial resolution have progressed greatly, holding out fresh promise for infrared (IR) imaging techniques. Applications in civil, industrial and healthcare fields are thus reaching a high level of technical performance. The relationship between body temperature and disease was documented since 400 bc. In many diseases there are variations in blood flow, and these in turn affect the skin temperature. IR imaging offers a useful and non-invasive approach to the diagnosis and treatment (as therapeutic aids) of many disorders, in particular in the areas of rheumatology, dermatology, orthopaedics and circulatory abnormalities. This paper reviews many usages (and hence the limitations) of thermography in biomedical fields.
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paper_title: Exercise-Associated Thermographic Changes in Young and Elderly Subjects

paper_content:

This study aimed at evaluating the thermographic changes associated with localized exercise in young and elderly subjects. An exercise protocol using 1 kg load was applied during 3 min to the knee flexors of 14 elderly (67 +/- 5 years) and 15 young (23 +/- 2 years) healthy subjects. The posterior thigh's skin temperature of the exercised limb and contralateral limb were measured by infrared thermography on pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise, and during the 10-min period post-exercise. Difference (p < 0.01) between elderly and young subjects was observed on pre-exercise temperature. Although differences were not observed between pre-exercise and immediately post-exercise temperature in the exercised limb, thermographic profile displayed heat concentration in exercised areas for both groups. Temperature reduction was only observed for the young group on the 10-min post-exercise (p < 0.05) in the exercised limb (30.7 +/- 1.7 to 30.3 +/- 1.5 degrees C). In contrast, there was a temperature reduction post-exercise (p < 0.01) in the contralateral limb for both groups. These results present new evidences that elderly and young subjects display similar capacity of heat production; however, the elderly subjects presented a lower resting temperature and slower heat dissipation. This work contributes to improve the understanding about temperature changes in elderly subjects and may present implications to the sports and rehabilitation programs.
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Title: An Overview of Recent Application of Medical Infrared Thermography in Sports Medicine in Austria

Section 1: Introduction
Description 1: Introduce medical infrared thermography, its principles, and its relevance in sports medicine, particularly focusing on Austria.

Section 2: International Status of Medical Infrared Imaging
Description 2: Discuss the recognition of MIT by medical associations worldwide and its application in sports medicine.

Section 3: Electromagnetic Spectrum
Description 3: Explain the basics of the electromagnetic spectrum and its significance in medical imaging, particularly MIT.

Section 4: Infrared Radiation
Description 4: Describe the principles of infrared radiation, its measurement, and the thermal imaging process in medical applications.

Section 5: The 21st Century Technique
Description 5: Highlight the advancements in MIT technology and their impact on diagnostic capabilities in sports medicine.

Section 6: Recommended Requirements for Human Medicine
Description 6: Outline the technical and quality requirements for infrared cameras used in human medical assessments.

Section 7: Reliability Study
Description 7: Discuss the reliability of MIT measurements, focusing on the studies conducted and their significance in sports medicine.

Section 8: Methods of Reliability Study
Description 8: Provide details of the methodology used in reliability studies of MIT, including subject examination and data analysis.

Section 9: Results
Description 9: Present the findings of the reliability studies, including variability and reproducibility of thermal measurements.

Section 10: Clinical Application in Alpine Skiing
Description 10: Explore the use of MIT in diagnosing and preventing injuries in alpine skiing, including case studies and practical applications.

Section 11: Overuse Injuries
Description 11: Discuss the detection and management of overuse injuries using MIT, with specific examples from alpine skiing.

Section 12: Traumatic Injuries
Description 12: Describe the role of MIT in diagnosing and monitoring the recovery of traumatic injuries, with case study illustrations.

Section 13: Limitations and Advantages of Infrared Imaging
Description 13: Address the benefits and limitations of MIT, emphasizing its role as a supplementary diagnostic tool in sports medicine.

Section 14: Conclusions
Description 14: Summarize the findings and future potential of MIT in sports medicine, stressing the need for further research and the creation of sports-specific databases.