Acute skin temperature responses to the 30-15 intermittent fitness test in professional male soccer players

Abstract

Background Infrared thermography has emerged as a powerful non-invasive tool with significant applications in the realm of sports science and medicine. This thermal imaging technology provides detailed insights into the skin temperature patterns and asymmetries of athletes, offering valuable data to enhance performance, assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation, monitor fatigue, and prevent injuries. Methods The aim of this study was to assess acute skin temperature (T_sk) responses before and after the 30 − 15 Intermittent Fitness Test (IFT) in professional male soccer players. Twenty-one professional soccer players performed a 30 − 15 IFT, and the running time, peak velocity, and true velocity (VIFT) were calculated. Thermal images of the players were acquired using an infrared thermal camera before and immediately after the 30 − 15 IFT, and T_sk measurements were analyzed from the anterior thigh, anterior leg, posterior thigh, and posterior leg. Results The T_sk asymmetries differed significantly between all regions of interest, with the greatest difference in the anterior and posterior thighs. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the 30 − 15 IFT parameters were not correlated with the posttest T_sk asymmetry for any of the ROIs. However, there were significant negative correlations between pretest T_sk asymmetry in the posterior leg region and all 30 − 15 IFT parameters for running time (r = 0.30; p < .05), peak velocity (r = 0.3; p < .05), and VIFT (r = 0.25; p < .05). Finally, athletes with lower baseline T_sk asymmetries in the posterior leg region have better 30 − 15 IFT performance. Conclusion Thermal imaging can be used to assess muscular asymmetries following specific endurance tests or conditioning training, and this information can provide valuable information for optimizing performance and injury prevention.