Hand Neuropathies and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Complementary Diagnosis Using IR Thermography

Abstract

Featured Application: This study shows the potential of infrared thermography to contribute to the diagnosis of conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Dupuytren’s contracture, Osteoarthritis, and Rhizarthrosis. Despite known limitations, including the cross-sectional design and exclusion criteria, the findings suggest that infrared thermography holds promise as a non-invasive and valuable tool for clinical diagnostics, providing insights into temperature variations associated with different hand pathologies. Healthcare professionals can leverage these data to assess the severity of inflammation and understanding the impact of hand neuropathies and orthopaedic disorders. Hand neuropathies and musculoskeletal disorders represent significant health concerns, often requiring accurate and non-invasive diagnostic methods. Current diagnostic approaches may have limitations in terms of accuracy and patient comfort. This study addresses the need for an improved complementary diagnostic tool for these conditions by investigating the potential of infrared thermography for identifying thermal patterns associated with these pathologies. Thermal images were acquired from both control participants with healthy hands and patients with hand neuropathies and/or musculoskeletal disorders. The mean temperatures of various regions of interest (ROIs) were analysed, and statistical tests were conducted to determine if there were significant temperature differences between the control and injury groups. The analysis consistently revealed higher mean temperatures in the injury group across multiple ROIs on both the dorsal and palmar aspects of the hand. Levene’s test confirmed the equality of variances between the groups, supporting the validity of the statistical comparisons. The observed thermal differences between the control and injury groups underscore the potential of IR thermography for enhancing diagnostic precision of hand pathologies. Its integration into clinical practice could lead to early detection, personalised treatment, and improved patient care in the future.