Comparison of the thermal profile of judokas and Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes

Abstract

At higher levels of competitiveness, there is a need to create injury prevention programs in the judo and jiu-jitsu modalities. Both modalities present in common the excessive forearm muscular request. One tool that has been used within these programs is the Infrared Thermography (IRT), which allows the identification of a possible injury. However, in order to avoid misunderstanding of the results, it is necessary to know the athlete's thermal profile. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify and compare the skin temperature (Tsk) of judo and jiu-jitsu athletes in the forearm region, as well as to verify the level of attention for asymmetry in the forearm of these athletes. The sample consisted of 26 male athletes, 12 judokas and 14 jiu-jitsu practitioners. The results of the comparison of Tsk of the forearm between the groups did not present any significant differences. The Tsk of judo and jiu-jitsu athletes in the forearm are similar, something that may help in future research using thermography with both modalities.