Infrared Thermography Can be Used to Diagnose Chronic Pain

Millions of people struggle with chronic pain globally, with about  20%  of Americans having this condition. We have different ways of diagnosing chronic pain, including blood tests, imaging tests, urine tests, and electromyography. New methods of detecting chronic pain, such as infrared thermography, seem to be more promising at identifying the root cause of the pain.

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Chronic pain occurs for various reasons, including injury because of pulled muscle or back pain. It may also be because of nerve damage. 

Other common causes of back pain are underlying health conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease. Chronic pain differs in intensity, and the best way to treat it is to find the root cause. Infrared thermography can help diagnose this form of pain.

All bodies emit electromagnetic radiation at temperatures above zero. A difference of a degree Celsius is adequate to indicate some physiological changes in body tissues. Infrared thermography ( IRT ) is an effective test for diagnosing pain syndrome.

IRT detects the infrared light body tissues emit because of physiological abnormalities in these areas as a response to temperature changes. This technology relies on an infrared camera to identify heat and blood flow patterns in body tissues. The device conducts an automatic analysis of temperature differences in the specific body tissues and statistical analysis to identify the abnormalities.

For instance, digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) is a form of thermography used to detect breast cancer. DITI identifies temperature differences on the breast's surface to diagnose breast cancer. Infrared thermography (IRT) is also useful for diagnosing vascular disorders and neuropathy. It also effectively identifies medical problems linked to kidney transplantation, fever screening, dermatology, and neonatal physiology.

Infrared thermography has several benefits, including:

• It's non–invasive and pain-free
• Testing time is short
• Doesn't emit radiation
• It's useful for monitoring patient treatment 
• Used in breast cancer screening
• One of the best methods of diagnosing pain syndrome



If you or a family member is struggling with chronic pain, you can opt for infrared thermography to detect the root cause of the problem. For more information,  contact us today.