Objective. The association between muscle damage and skin temperature is controversial. We hypothesize that including metrics that are more sensitive to individual responses by considering variability and regions representative of higher temperature could influence skin temperature outcomes. Here, the objective of the study was to determine whether using alternative metrics (TMAX, entropy, and pixelgraphy) leads to different results than mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation (SD) skin temperature when addressing muscle damage using infrared thermography. Approach. Thermal images from four previous investigations measuring skin temperature before and after muscle damage in the anterior thigh and the posterior lower leg were used. The TMAX, entropy, and pixelgraphy (percentage of pixels above 33 °C) metrics were applied. Main results. On 48 h after running a marathon or half-marathon, no differences were found in skin temperature when applying any metric. Mean, minimum, maximum, TMAX, and pixelgraphy were lower 48 h after than at basal condition following quadriceps muscle damage (p < 0.05). Maximum skin temperature and pixelgraphy were lower 48 h after than the basal condition following muscle damage to the triceps sural (p < 0.05). Overall, TMAX strongly correlated with mean (r = 0.85) and maximum temperatures (r = 0.99) and moderately with minimum (r = 0.66) and pixelgraphy parameter (r = 0.64). Entropy strongly correlates with SD (r = 0.94) and inversely moderately with minimum temperature (r = −0.53). The pixelgraphy moderately correlated with mean (r = 0.68), maximum (r = 0.62), minimum (r = 0.58), and TMAX (r = 0.64). Significance. Using alternative metrics does not change skin temperature outcomes following muscle damage of lower extremity muscle groups.

Background/Objectives: Human tendon properties influence athletic performance, and it was shown that Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness correlates with an athlete’s jumping performance across sports. However, the findings on this relationship between basketball and soccer are different. Hence, this study examined the relationship between AT stiffness and jumping performance in male athletes. Methods: Sixty-six males (24.9 ± 4.7 years; twenty-two basketball players (22.0 ± 4.1 years), and forty-four soccer players (26.3 ± 4.4 years)) participated. Reactive jumping performance (reactive strength index (RSI), jump height (JH), and ground contact time (GCT)) were assessed using drop jumps (fall height: 30 cm), and AT stiffness (supine position) was measured using the MyotonPro. Results: Soccer players had a significantly higher AT stiffness (826.8 ± 90.5 N/m) than basketball players (754.1 ± 80.1 N/m, p = 0.002), but no differences were found in JH, RSI, or GCT (p > 0.05). JH and AT stiffness significantly correlated in basketball players (r = 0.448) but not in soccer players (r < 0.100). The multiple linear regression indicated that AT stiffness is significantly influenced by the sport type (soccer or basketball), while age, mass, and height remained non-significant. Conclusions: Despite higher AT stiffness in soccer players (which can be explained by different activity regimens), a moderate correlation between jumping performance and AT stiffness was evident only in basketball. Given the versatile demands of both sports, tendon characteristics appear to have an influence on jumping performance. For future studies, investigating tendon characteristics represents a valuable addition to training and therapy scheduling.

Infrared thermography is a noninvasive tool to monitor muscle damage, though its effectiveness is debated, as some studies report no skin temperature changes 24–48 h post‐damage. These findings are often attributed to skin blood flow, but there is a lack of studies assessing this outcome. This study aimed to assess baseline skin temperature and skin blood flow responses 24 h after an induced quadriceps damage protocol and to establish a possible relationship between both variables. The thigh skin temperature and skin blood flow, pain perception, serum creatine kinase, and height of countermovement jump were measured in 15 physically active adults over 4 days, on two consecutive days per week. The induced muscle damage protocol, based on 100 drop jumps, was performed on the third day. Higher serum creatine kinase and pain perception (p < 0.01, ES > 1.20) were found 24 h after muscle damage induction. Thigh skin temperature and skin blood flow were unaffected by the muscle damage protocol, and a moderate correlation was observed between both outcomes (r = 0.59). We conclude that muscle damage does not alter skin blood flow 24 h after the induction, and therefore, this also had no consequences on skin temperature.