Effect of a Marathon on Skin Temperature Response After a Cold-Stress Test and Its Relationship With Perceptive, Performance, and Oxidative-Stress Biomarkers.

CONTEXT: Although skin-temperature assessment has received much attention in recent years as a possible internal-load measurement, scientific evidence is scarce. PURPOSE: To analyze baseline skin temperature and its rewarming through means of a cold-stress test before and after performing a marathon and to study the association between skin temperature and internal/external-load measurements. METHODS: A total of 16 runners were measured 48 and 24 h before and 24 and 48 h after completing a marathon. The measurements on each day of testing included urine biomarkers of oxidative stress, pain and fatigue perception, skin temperature (at baseline and after a cold-stress test), and jump performance. RESULTS: Reduced jump performance (P < .01 and effect size [ES] = 0.5) and higher fatigue and pain perception were observed 24 h after the marathon (P < .01 and ES > 0.8). Although no differences in baseline skin temperature were observed between the 4 measuring days, posterior legs presented lower constant (P < .01 and ES = 1.4) and higher slope (P = .04 and ES = 1.1) parameters in the algorithmic equations fitted for skin-temperature recovery after the cold-stress test 24 h after the marathon than on the day before the marathon. Regressions showed that skin-temperature parameters could be predicted by the ratio of ortho-tyrosine isomer to phenylalanine (oxidative stress biomarker) and body fat composition, among others. CONCLUSIONS: Although baseline skin temperature was not altered 24 or 48 h after a marathon, the application of cold stress after the marathon would appear to be a good method for providing information on vasoconstriction and a runner's state of stress.

Association between physiological stress and skin temperature response after a half marathon.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the association between skin temperature response and the physiological stress after a half marathon. APPROACH: Seventeen runners were measured 48 h before, 24 h before, 24 h after and 48 h after completing a half marathon. The measurements on each day of testing included blood markers (creatine kinase [CK] and glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase [GOT]), perception of pain and fatigue (using a visual analogue scale), skin temperature (using infrared thermography), and jump performance (using countermovement jump test). MAIN RESULTS: CK (p  < 0.001 and ES = 2.1), GOT (p  = 0.04 and ES = 1.3), and perception of fatigue and pain (p  < 0.001 and ES > 1.0) increased 24 h after the half marathon, whereas jump performance decreased (p  < 0.01 and ES = 0.4). No increase of skin temperature was observed in the tests after the competition and no regression model was able to predict physiological stress using skin temperature. Only a bivariate correlation was observed between the 24 h variation (pre-24 h) of CK and the skin temperature of the posterior upper limb (p  = 0.04 and r = 0.5), and between the 48 h variation (pre-48 h) of pain perceived and the skin temperature of the knee (p  < 0.01 and r = 0.6). SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, follow-up on basal skin temperatures does not seem to be an adequate method to detect physiological stress after a half marathon. In line with the observed results, we recommend caution when interpreting peaks in basal skin temperature in field sports assessments.