May thermal imaging be useful in cyclist endurance tests?

Abstract

Thermovision is a completely non-invasive and easy-to-perform method of imaging, and it is becoming useful not only in different modalities of clinical medicine, but also in sports medicine. However, it seems that thermal imaging may also find some use in training. That is why the aim of these studies is to compare temperature parameters with data obtained from specialist equipment, which uses monitoring to choose organism parameters during the endurance test and also to determine the efficiency level. In this study, we also try to estimate body metabolism, using a modified formula of Kleiber's law. We describe how metabolism changes during efficiency tests and compare these changes with parameters checked by an ergospirometer. All studies were performed by thermovision camera (Flir Systems E60). Results of the study showed that thermal imaging may be useful in sports medicine as a helpful method in efficiency evaluation. We obtained a high correlation between the standard parameters used in efficiency tests and the parameters derived from thermal imaging, which may suggest the possibility of using thermovision as an additional method in the planning of training cycles, and its effects.