This thesis investigates the use of infrared thermography to monitor the effects of manual therapy on the surface muscle temperature of horses. The introduction outlines the importance of effective warm-up methods in sport horses and the advantages of non-invasive temperature measurement techniques. The second chapter presents the physical background, focusing on temperature, heat transfer, the Stefan-Boltzmann and Planck laws, and the operating principles of thermal imaging cameras.
The third chapter provides a veterinary perspective, explaining thermoregulation in horses and the role of manual therapy—especially massage—as a form of passive warming. The methodology chapter describes in detail the selection of measurement sites, the experimental procedure, the measuring equipment, test environment conditions, and data processing methods.
The fifth chapter presents the measurement results, including the analysis of thermal images and evaluation of temperature changes after therapy. Special emphasis is placed on comparing two thermal imaging cameras—FLIR T650sc and FLIR e96—by examining measurement differences and applying calibration-based corrections.
The concluding chapter summarizes the key findings of the research and confirms that muscle temperature temporarily increases after massage, although the changes often remain within the measurement uncertainty. The thesis confirms the applicability of thermography as a diagnostic tool and indicates that even a more affordable thermal imaging camera can achieve satisfactory accuracy under appropriate conditions, further supporting the usefulness of the method in veterinary practice and making it more accessible to a wider population.
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