Influence of ambient temperature on in-shoe foot temperature kinetics during a 40-minute treadmill walk

Abstract

There are two competing drivers for foot temperature during exercise and they seem to be related to thermoregulatory vasodilation and reflex vasoconstriction, associated with the exercise. However, the pattern of change in foot temperature kinetics during exercise has not been described previously. This study provides continuous measurement data of ambulatory foot temperature in different ambient temperatures aiming to provide insight into the influence of climate on ambulatory foot temperature kinetics. These results, in healthy participants provide the first data on foot temperature kinetics during exercise in individuals living in a Mediterranean climate, and provide the foundation for the use of this type of technology in clinical contexts including the evaluation of patients at risk of foot ulceration.