Infrared Thermography as a Diagnostic Tool in Podiatry: Advances, Applications, and Perspectives

• Rodríguez-Portelles, Alfredo Carlos ^[1] ; Céspedes Rómulo, Arianna Maité ^[2]
  1. [1] Hospital Padre Carollo. Quito, Ecuador
  2. [2] Universidad de las Américas (UDLA). Quito, Ecuador
• Localización: Podiatry, ISSN-e 3072-8304, Nº. 4, 2025 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Podiatry)
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Introduction: podiatry is a specialized health discipline focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of foot, ankle, and lower limb conditions. Infrared thermography has emerged as a non-invasive diagnostic tool with increasing clinical relevance. This study aims to characterize the use of thermography in podiatry.Methods: a total of 16 articles in Spanish and English were retrieved from Scopus, Science, and Springer using the keywords infrared thermography, podiatry, non-invasive diagnosis, diabetic foot ulcers, plantar thermal evaluation, with more than 60 % published in the last five years.Results: Thermography detects temperature rises linked to inflammation and drops indicative of ischemia. It has been applied in cases such as diabetic foot ulcers, tendinopathies, onychomycosis, vascular diseases, and sports injuries. It integrates well with other techniques like plantar pressure analysis and ultrasound, and has been incorporated into wearable devices like smart socks.Conclusions: Infrared thermography enhances diagnostic precision in podiatry by enabling fast, safe, and objective assessment of foot pathologies. Its incorporation into clinical protocols allows for early intervention and thermal monitoring of treatment outcomes, proving valuable in multidisciplinary diabetic foot care.