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©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Jan 18, 2026; 17(1): 109955
Published online Jan 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i1.109955
Published online Jan 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i1.109955
Science of heat mapping: Thermography in musculoskeletal disorders
Madhan Jeyaraman, Naveen Jeyaraman, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India
Madhan Jeyaraman, Naveen Jeyaraman, Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Department of Regene
Madhan Jeyaraman, Tomas M de Souza Moraes, Lucas F da Fonseca, Department of Ortho
Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Department of Orthopaedics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Karaikal 609602, Puducherry, India
Mainak Roy, Department of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalyani 741245, West Bengal, India
Author contributions: Jeyaraman M contributed to conceptualization, proofreading, and administration; Jeyaraman M and Nallakumarasamy A helped in manuscript revision; Jeyaraman N and Nallakumarasamy A contributed to acquiring clinical data and performing the data analysis; Jeyaraman N and Roy M contributed to manuscript writing; de Souza Moraes TM and da Fonseca LF contributed for image acquisition; All authors have agreed to the final version to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Madhan Jeyaraman, MD, PhD, Researcher, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Velappan
Received: May 27, 2025
Revised: July 1, 2025
Accepted: November 3, 2025
Published online: January 18, 2026
Processing time: 228 Days and 2.1 Hours
Revised: July 1, 2025
Accepted: November 3, 2025
Published online: January 18, 2026
Processing time: 228 Days and 2.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Infrared thermography is a promising, non-invasive imaging tool for musculoskeletal injury assessment, detecting temperature variations linked to inflammation, vascular changes, and muscle fatigue. It enhances early diagnosis, injury prevention, and rehabilitation monitoring, particularly in sports medicine. However, challenges in sensitivity, specificity, and standardization limit its clinical adoption. Advances in artificial intelligence, improved imaging resolution, and integration with other modalities may enhance its reliability, expanding its role in orthopedic and rehabilitation care.