Skin temperature of middle distance runners after a maximum effort test

ABSTRACT

The purposeof this study was to analyze skin temperature(Tsk)responses after a short-term maximum effort test in middle-distance runners.Aquasi-experimental study was conducted with ten men (age 23.5±5.10 years)who trained 5 days per week, 2 to 3 hours per day,and were submitted to thermographic evaluationbefore and after Cooper's 12-minute run test (CRT). The mean temperature of the anterior-superior,posterior-superior,anterior-inferior,and posterior-inferiorregionswas compared between the sides(i.e., left and right)before and after CRT.The paired t-testshowed asignificantdecrease in Tskafter CRT in thefollowingregionsright pectoralis major (-3.4%), left pectoralis major (-3.4%),and abdomen (-5%) in the anterior-superior view (p<0.01); and in the upper right trunk (-1.9%),upper lefttrunk(-1.9%) and lower back (-2.9%) in the posterior-superior view (p<0.05). In the lower limbs,asignificantincreaseintemperature of the left knee (1.6%),and right (3.6%) and left ankles (2.9%) in the anteriorview (p<0.05),as well as in theright (4.3%) and left ankles (3.7%) in the posteriorview (p<0.05)wereobserved. There was no difference in temperature between the right and left sides. In conclusion, the Tskchange of middle-distance runners wassymmetricalbetween sides,decreasing in upper limbs and trunk and increasing in lower limbs after a short-term maximum effort test.