Use of thermal imaging in sports medicine research: a short report

The assessment of skin temperature (T_sk) in athletic therapy and sports medicine research is an extremely important physiological outcome measure. Various methods of recording T_sk, including thermistors, thermocouples and thermocrons are currently being used for research purposes. These techniques are constrained by their wires limiting the freedom of the subject, slow response times, and/or sensors falling off. Furthermore, as these products typically are directly attached to the skin and cover the measurement site, their validity may be questionable. This manuscript addresses the use and potential benefits of using thermal imaging (TI) in sport medicine research. Non-contact infrared TI offers a quick, non-invasive, portable and athlete-friendly method of assessing T_sk. TI is a useful T_sk diagnostic tool that has potential to be an integral part of sport medicine research in the future. Furthermore, as the technique is non-contact it has several advantages over existing methods of recording skin temperature.