Relationship Between Infrared Thermography and Functional Parameters in the Lower Limbs of Hemiplegic Patients

INTRODUCTION: Reliable objective and non-invasive assessments of myotendinous alterations in patients with muscle tone disorders secondary to brain damage represent an important challenge in health science. The aim of this study was to observe the relationship between the skin temperature and the functional response in the triceps suralis of hemiplegic patients in relation to the healthy control group. METHODS: A descriptive observational study was conducted based on the STARD recommendations. A total of 26 volunteers, 13 participants with unilateral motor impairment and 13 healthy patients, participated and completed the study. Intragroup and intergroup clinical thermography tests were performed, and the results were compared in relation to the timed up and go test, pain threshold to pressure, and modified Ashworth scale. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed that clinical thermography could be a potentially useful tool in the assessment of both structural and functional alterations of the musculoskeletal system in patients with chronic brain damage.