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The importance of using infrared thermography (IRT) to assess skin temperature (t) is increasing in clinical settings. Recently, its use has been increasing in sports and exercise medicine; however, no consensus guideline exists to address the methods for collecting data in such situations. The aim of this study was to develop a checklist for the collection of t using IRT in sports and exercise medicine. We carried out a Delphi study to set a checklist based on consensus agreement from leading experts in the field. Panelists (n = 24) representing the areas of sport science (n = 8; 33%), physiology (n = 7; 29%), physiotherapy (n = 3; 13%) and medicine (n = 6; 25%), from 13 different countries completed the Delphi process. An initial list of 16 points was proposed which was rated and commented on by panelists in three rounds of anonymous surveys following a standard Delphi procedure. The panel reached consensus on 15 items which encompassed the participants' demographic information, camera/room or environment setup and recording/analysis of t using IRT. The results of the Delphi produced the checklist entitled "Thermographic Imaging in Sports and Exercise Medicine (TISEM)" which is a proposal to standardize the collection and analysis of t data using IRT. It is intended that the TISEM can also be applied to evaluate bias in thermographic studies and to guide practitioners in the use of this technique.

The aim was to examine the injuries sustained by Spanish football players in the First Division and to compare injury-related variables in the context of both competition and training. The injury data were prospectively collected from 16 teams (427 players) using a specific web-based survey during the 2008/2009 season. A total of 1293 injuries were identified (145 were recurring injuries). The overall injury incidence was 5.65 injuries per 1000 h of exposure. Injuries were much more common during competition than during training (43.53 vs. 3.55 injuries per 1000 h of exposure, P < 0.05). Most of the injuries (89.6%) involved the lower extremities, and overuse (65.7%) was the main cause. Muscle and tendon injuries were the most common types of injury (53.8%) among the players. The incidence of training injuries was greater during the pre-season and tended to decrease throughout the season, while the incidence of competition injuries increased throughout the season (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest the need for injury prevention protocols in the First Division of the Spanish Football League to reduce the number of overuse injuries in the muscles and tendons in the lower extremities. In addition, special attention should be paid during the pre-season and the competitive phase II (the last four months of the season) in order to prevent training and competition injuries, respectively.

h i g h l i g h t sStandardizing the acclimatization time is crucial for a right T SK assessment by IRT. Time for reaching T SK balance in rest is different for young men and women. 10 min is enough for acclimatization when the external temperatures are not extreme. a r t i c l e i n f oArticle history: Received 6 November 2012 Available online 3 March 2014Keywords: Thermoregulation Thermography Thermal imaging Temperature a b s t r a c t Thermography for scientific research and practical purposes requires a series of procedures to obtain images that should be standardized; one of the most important is the time required for acclimatization in the controlled environment. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify the appropriate acclimatization time in rest to reach a thermal balance on young people skin. Forty-four subjects participated in the study, 18 men (22.3 ± 3.1 years) and 26 women (21.7 ± 2.5 years). Thermographic images were collected using a thermal imager (Fluke Ò ), totaling 44 images over a period of 20 min. The skin temperature (T SK ) was measured at the point of examination which included the 0 min, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. The body regions of interest (ROI) analyzed included the hands, forearms, arms, thighs, legs, chest and abdomen. We used the Friedman test with post hoc Dunn's in order to establish the time at rest required to obtain a T SK balance and the Mann-Whitney test was used to compare age, BMI, body fat percentage and temperature variations between men and women, considering always a significance level of p < 0.05. Results showed that women had significantly higher temperature variations than men (p < 0.01) along the time. In men, only the body region of the abdomen obtained a significant variance (p < 0.05) on the analyzed period, both in the anterior and posterior part. In women, the anterior abdomen and thighs, and the posterior part of the hands, forearms and abdomen showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Based on our results, it can be concluded that the time in rest condition required reaching a T SK balance in young men and women is variable, but for whole body analysis it is recommended at least 10 min for both sexes.

Thermal body patterns for healthy Brazilian adults (male and female), Journal of Thermal Biology, http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.jtherbio.2014.02.020 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. A B S T R A C TThe aim of this study was to establish the skin temperature (T sk ) thermal profile for the Brazilian population and to compare the differences between female and male Brazilian adults. A total of 117 female and 103 male were examined with a thermographic camera. The T sk of 24 body regions of interest (ROI) were recorded and analyzed. Male T sk results were compared to female and 10 ROI were evaluated with respect to the opposite side of the body (right vs. left) to identify the existence of significant contralateral T sk differences (ΔT sk ). When compared right to left, the largest contralateral ΔT sk was 0.3 °C. The female vs. male analysis yielded significant differences (p <0.05) in 13 of the 24 ROI. Thigh regions, both ventral and dorsal, had the highest ΔT sk by sex (≈ 1.0 °C). T sk percentile below P 5 or P 10 and over P 9o or P 95 may be used to characterize hypothermia and hyperthermia states, respectively. Thermal patterns and T sk tables 2 were established for Brazilian adult men and women for each ROI. There is a low T sk variation between sides of the body and gender differences were only significant for some ROIs. Keywords: Infrared thermographySkin temperature Thermal symmetry Brazilian profile HighlightsEstablishing a standard thermographic profile is crucial for an appropriate interpretation.Standardization of the protocols leads to obtain comparable results.Gender seems to be a determining factor for the skin temperature of the thigh, calf and dorsal arm.We suggest the value of 0.5 °C as a normal limit for contralateral ΔT sk.