Thermography method under the influence of exercise in the detection of muscle injuries: Sartorius muscle case report

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the level of participation in the training of the athlete who applied to the clinic with pain by infrared thermography. Symptoms of sartorius muscle (SM) injury are like rectus femoris injuries. Case scenario: Grade I SM injury of a 23-year-old male football player was determined by thermographic diagnosis. Taking a resting thermal image before the training of the player reported a pain in the upper thigh region. Outcomes: Since both legs were equally loaded, in accordance with the method we developed, the thermal image was taken again after a 10-min cycling program with 30–40% resistance. The heat maps of legs seen in the pre- and post-training images were analyzed. There was no asymmetrical finding indicating injury in the resting thermographic evaluation, but asymmetric findings showing the injury in the region of SM were obtained in the repeated thermographic imaging after the 10-min cycling program. Grade I SM injury was detected by MRI afterwards. Conclusion: Even if there is no sign of asymmetry in the resting thermography of football players having signs of pain, the injured muscle should be provoked with a safe exercise program and the thermal image should be retaken.