Bilateral comparison of forearm skin temperature during handgrip force exercise

Abstract

Handgrip force (HGF) test has been used to provide important occupational health information about subject’s nutritional and physiological condition. Handgrip force (average and maximum) and exercise accumulated work can be measured using a dynamometer connected to a computer, other physiological energy spent in the HGF test can be obtained with infrared thermal (IRT) imaging at the anterior forearm region. A protocol has been developed combining both measurements, showing correlations between the measured values and the degrees of similarity between bilateral limbs was assessed, varying at maximum of 1.6 ºC in the considered thermal regions of interest of the forearm. The obtained results on 13 subjects at three different endurance HGF tests showed that the procedure is reproducible and can be applied in both limbs for physiological assessments in occupational, rehabilitation or geriatric contexts.