Thermographic Assessment of Skin Temperature Changes following Partial Body Cryostimulation (PBC) in Football Players

Abstract

Infrared thermography has been widely used to visualize skin temperature in human science. One of the important areas of its application is the analysis of changes in body surface temperature as a result of the use of physical medicine treatments in post-exercise regeneration in sports. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cutaneous temperature response in selected body areas and the range of chosen markers of skeletal muscle damage to partial body cryostimulation (PBC) as a method of post-match regeneration. Fourteen football players underwent PBC after a match. Thermographic analyses of anterior and posterior surfaces of the body were performed before and immediately after the treatment. Before, directly after, and 24, 48, and 72 h after the match serum creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were evaluated. After PBC, a significant (p ≤ 0.001) decrease in skin temperature (Tsk) in all analyzed areas occurred. The greatest drop was observed in the areas of the thighs (∆ = 9.96–11.02 °C); the smallest temperature drop occurred in the areas of the upper and lower part of the back (∆ = 6.18−6.70 °C) and in the area of the chest (∆ = 6.80 °C). The most significant positive relationships between the magnitude of change in Tsk of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the thighs, body fat, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure have been shown. There were no significant differences between temperatures in selected areas in relation to the sides of the body, both before and after PBC. The range of temperature changes confirms the stimulating effect of PBC. The course of changes in the concentration of CK and AST indicates a potentially beneficial effect of PBC on the course of post-workout regeneration, without side effects. Maintaining a constant body temperature during PBC comes at the expense of thermoregulatory mechanisms leading to a lower body surface temperature.