Thermographic and Calorimetric Assessment of Upper-Limb Muscle Recovery Following Wushu Training in University Martial Artists

Abstract

Background: Wushu training requires upper limb swift and repeated actions such as punching, blocking, grasping, using weapons, and maintaining body stability while changing from one stance to another. The current evidence suggests that infrared thermography is a suitable non-invasive tool as an aid to post-exercise recovery assessment, but there is no evidence for the combined use of upper-limb thermography and indirect calorimetry in university Wushu players.

Objective: This study introduces a standardized framework for assessing the recovery of the upper limb following Wushu training, based on the technology of infrared thermography, indirect calorimetry and complementary physiological performance markers, called ThermoCal-Wushu.

Methods: A within-subject repeated-measures protocol was designed that monitored bilateral deltoid, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, forearm-flexor and forearm-extensor regions of interest (ROIs) at Pre, Post-0, Post-15, Post-30 and Post-60. For the

Purpose: of analysis and reporting only, a fixed-seed synthetic cohort of 36 martial artists was generated.

Results: Mean upper-limb temperature increased from 32.37 ± 0.24°C at baseline to 33.20 ± 0.28°C at Post-15 in the simulated data. There was an immediate increase in oxygen uptake after training (4.23 ± 0.30 vs. 43.45 ± 4.76 mL/kg/min) and there was a correlation between thermal area under the curve (AUC) and energy-expenditure AUC (r = 0.19, p = 0.278).

Conclusions: ThermoCal-Wushu offers a replicable and TISEM-compliant structure for future empirical evaluation of recovery. This set is for workflow readiness only and clinical/performance data from actual, ethics-approved participants are needed for performance or clinical statements.