Introduction. The aim of this study was to observe the validity, diagnostic capacity, and reliability of the thermographic technique in the analysis of sensitive and motor sequelae in patients with chronic brain damage. Method. A longitudinal descriptive observational study was performed. Forty-five people with impairment in at least one anatomical region participated in and completed this study. All patients who had become infected by SARS-CoV-2 in the past year were excluded. Thermographic measurement was conducted, and the Modified Ashworth Scale and Pressure Pain Threshold was analyzed. Results. A high correlation between two times of thermography data was observed. The Spearman correlations obtained between the Ashworth score on each leg and the temperature given by thermography were all significant. Discussion and conclusions. Despite the above, the Spearman correlations obtained between the PPT in each leg and the temperature offered by thermography were not significant in any of the measurements. For this reason, thermography is a potential tool for the diagnosis and assessment of neuromuscular motor sequelae, but not for sensitive sequelae, after brain injury. Nevertheless, for the time being, no statistical relationship has been observed between the data reported by thermography and PPT; thus, future studies are needed to further investigate these results.
Introduction: Reliable objective and non-invasive assessments of myotendinous alterations in patients with muscle tone disorders secondary to brain damage represent an important challenge in health science. The aim of this study was to observe the relationship between the skin temperature and the functional response in the triceps suralis of hemiplegic patients in relation to the healthy control group. Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted based on the STARD recommendations. A total of 26 volunteers, 13 participants with unilateral motor impairment and 13 healthy patients, participated and completed the study. Intragroup and intergroup clinical thermography tests were performed, and the results were compared in relation to the timed up and go test, pain threshold to pressure, and modified Ashworth scale. Results: Statistically relevant differences (p < 0.01) could be observed between the two groups in each test performed. Thermographic analysis revealed a difference in temperature between the healthy and affected sides in the inter- and intra-group comparisons. It was possible to observe statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) between limbs in the brain damage group (the side affected was at a lower temperature), while no such differences were observed between limbs in the healthy control group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our results confirmed that clinical thermography could be a potentially useful tool in the assessment of both structural and functional alterations of the musculoskeletal system in patients with chronic brain damage.