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Infrared Thermography Measures Heat Loss In NFL Players
March 23, 2009
•White Paper: Infrared Thermography Measures Heat Loss In NFL Players
By FLIR Systems, Inc
In high intensity athletics, heat illness can lead to a variety of negative outcomes. In addition to concerns of decreased performance and the potential for lost practice days after a heat stress episode,i team physicians and trainers must also be aware of the possibility of catastrophic events. Since 1995, 33 high school, college and professional football player fatalities have been attributed to heat stroke.
As working muscles produce heat and core temperature increases, a variety of thermoregulatory compensations occur to dissipate this heat to the external environment. While the role of evaporative heat loss through sweating is well understood, there is an increasing body of literature regarding the importance of cooling through radiation to the external environment. This is achieved by increasing blood flow to superficial, subcutaneous vascular beds. These capillary beds, arteriovenous anastomoses and venus plexuses, have been shown to be effective mechanisms for heat dissipation when body temperature rises during exercise.
Previous research has attempted to categorize and quantify heat loss in subcutaneous capillary beds using surface thermistors and, more recently, infrared thermography. Infrared thermography has emerged as the preferred method, as it allows for non-invasive visualization of large, heterogeneous regions, and allows for immediate identification of temperature changes.
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