Thermometric Variations on the Foot Sole and Legs of Runners before and after Running 30 km

Abstract

Thermometry is a non-invasive technique to measure changes on the cutaneous temperature and assess it in a quantitative way. The significant raising of the temperature may indicate the existence of pathology. It has been shown that muscular activity inducts heat transference processes between muscles and the superficial layers of tissue. In this study we want to quantify the temperature changes in the foot muscles and in the lower limb after a 30 km race. In order to do so, we have used a high resolution thermographic camera. We count on the voluntary collaboration of 32 healthy people, and we proceeded to take pictures of their foot sole, the front and back of their legs, the front and back parts of their thigh in two stages; The first one before the race and the second after the 30 km race, so we could assess whether there was temperature variation in the selected areas.

After de analysis of the obtained data we found significant thermic variations in the heel, first metatarsal head, second metatarsal head, third metatarsal head, fourth metatarsal head, fifth metatarsal head, styloid process fifth metatarsal, inner longitudinal arch, inner malleolus, external malleolus, peroneus longus, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, tensor fasciae latae, quadriceps insertion, medial gastrocnemius, Achilles tendon and biceps femoris.