POWER AND ENDURANCE CYCLING PERFORMANCE: THE KINESIO-TAPING APPLICATION AND THE INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF MUSCULAR EFFORT

The present thesis has been written incorporating two different research lines involving the use of kinesio taping (KT) and the infrared thermography technology (IRT) in the field of physical exercise and performance analysis. Both topics are related to the involvement of cycling pattern in a laboratory environment assessing the role of skin behavior in terms of promotion (indirect) of muscle contraction and thermoregulation b KT and IRT, respectively. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of kinesio taping (KT) was helpful in increasing maximal-intensity cycling exercise. Sixteen active healthy subjects were enrolled in a randomized placebo, repeated measures design. All subjects were tested on a cycle ergometer under three conditions: without taping, taping along anterior thigh muscles, and sham taping across the same muscle groups. Results showed a significant increase in peak power output and total work after the longitudinally application compared to the condition with no tape applied (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between the two modes of application. Our findings indicated that the tactile stimulation of KT applied longitudinally provided positive effects during a sprint cycling performance in healthy and active subject. The aim of the second study was to assess skin temperature and pedaling imbalance in response to maximal incremental exercise in elite cyclists. Ten competitive elite cyclists underwent a cycling incremental test to exhaustion. Kinetic variables, such as peak crank torque and asymmetric index (AI) were taken into account for propulsion and recovery phases at the beginning and at the end of the test. Thermal images of the thighs\u2019 frontal surfaces (captured by infrared thermography, IRT) were recorded before, immediately after and 3 and 6 min after the end of exercise. Cyclists showed a certain degree of symmetry in skin temperature presenting a significant reduction at the exhaustion point for both lower limb. As regard bilateral peak crank torques, a significant interaction was found in the propulsive phase across the time, even though the AI was 10% was reported. Elite competitive cyclists showed bilateral asymmetry between propulsive peak crank torques in a state of extreme fatigue (i.e. at the exhaustion) with a low value of AI. On the other hand, skin temperature dynamics, measured by IRT, presented a certain degree of symmetry in both right and left limb in response to maximal incremental test. Future studies are need to determine the effective usefulness of IRT to monitor bilateral force asymmetry

Bilateral asymmetry of skin temperature is not related to bilateral asymmetry of crank torque during an incremental cycling exercise to exhaustion

© 2018 Trecroci et al. Although moderate relationships (|r|~0:5) were reported between skin temperature and performance-related variables (e.g., kinetic), it remains unclear whether skin temperature asymmetry reflects muscle force imbalance in cycling. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether a relationship exists between kinetic and thermal asymmetry during a fatiguing exercise. Ten elite cyclists were enrolled and tested on a maximal incremental cycling test. Peak crank torques of both legs were obtained at the initial and final workload. Likewise, bilateral skin temperatures were recorded before and after exercise. Asymmetric indexes were also calculated for kinetic (AIK) and skin temperature (AIT) outcomes. The bilateral peak crank torques showed a larger difference at the final compared to the initial workload (p0:05). Additionally, trivial relationships were reported between AIK and AIT (-0:3<r<0:2) at the initial and final workload. The obtained results showed that changes in bilateral kinetic values did not reflect concurrent changes in bilateral skin temperatures. This finding emphasizes the difficulty of associating the asymmetry of skin temperature with those of muscle effort in elite cyclists. Lastly, our study also provided further insights on thermal skin responses during exhaustive cycling exercise in very highly-trained athletes

Change of direction asymmetry across different age categories in youth soccer

Background In youth, the development of change of direction (COD) and sprint performance is a key component for successfully competing in soccer across age. During a COD, the presence of directional asymmetries may be detrimental due to the unpredictable nature of the sport. Therefore, the aims of the study were to investigate asymmetries in COD ability and to examine the differences in COD and sprint performance across age in young soccer players. Methods Sixty-eight sub-elite soccer players of different age categories (U18, U17, U16, U15) were tested on a 10-m linear sprint test and 90°COD (5-m entry and exit) test in both directions. Asymmetric index (AI) of COD deficit was obtained for dominant (fastest) and non-dominant directions (slowest). Results The results showed that U16 were more asymmetrical than U18, U17, and U15 from large to moderate effects. The sprint time improved linearly across age with U18 and U15 displaying the fastest and slowest 10-m sprint performance (p 0.05). Conclusion Given the results of this study, practitioners are encouraged to assess asymmetries between dominant and non-dominant directions rather than solely players’ COD ability in young soccer players

Assessing Facial Skin Temperature Asymmetry with Different Methods

Abstract The analysis of thermographic images in psychological application is usually performed by averaging the values of pixel temperature inside a Region of Interest (Troi). We used a new method, based on maximal temperatures inside a ROI (Tmax), to evaluate face temperature to single out asymmetry in males and females population (n=33 and 27 respectively). Data were compared with those obtained with traditional method based on the average over the whole area of the anatomical part under investigation (hemiface). In this study, we put in evidence the features of this analysis method specifically in human non-invasive facial characterization

Comparison of Image Analysis Methods in Skin Temperature Measurements during Physical Exercise

The analysis of thermographic images in biomedical application is usually performed by different methods of averaging the values of pixel temperature inside a Region of Interest (ROI). We used a new method, based on maximal temperatures inside a ROI (Tmax), to evaluate temperature modifications during physical exercise in trained or untrained subjects. In this paper we analysed squat exercise effects on the thighs of 6 active subjects. Data were compared with those obtained with traditional method based on the average over an area in the anatomical part under investigation. The values of temperature measured before, during and after the exercise showed the same pattern with both methods. A slightly decrease in temperature during the exercise was followed by an increase during the recovery time. Bland and Altman statistical analysis confirmed the good agreement between the new method and the one based on the average considered as the gold standard. In this study we put in evidence the features of this analysis method specifically in human application