# Hand Neuropathies and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Complementary Diagnosis Using IR Thermography
## 3 Results and Discussion
Therefore, it can be concluded that the mean temperature within the injury group is significantly higher than the control's group mean temperature. This increment of temperature can result from inflammatory processes and increased blood flow caused by hand neuropathies and orthopaedic conditions. In addition, factors such as infection can also cause a temperature increase. Table 2 summarises the results of the independent samples \(t\)-test, employed to compare the mean thermal difference (in \({}^{\circ}\)C) between the injured and the control groups for various regions of the hand palm. Similar to the dorsal dataset, all the analysed ROIs exhibit positive mean thermal differences, which indicate that the mean temperatures within the injured group are higher than those in the control group. Given that the \(p\)-values for all the examined ROIs are below the pre-defined significance level of \(\alpha=0.05\), the null hypothesis is dismissed and the alternative hypothesis is embraced. Hence, it can be highlighted that the mean temperature in the injury group is substantially greater than the mean temperature in the control group. The increment of temperature in the injury group is evident through the distinctions in thermal patterns between the control hand (left) and the hand with pathology (right), as can be seen in the example of Figure 7. This illustration reflects a trend, showcasing \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Levine’s Test for Equality of Variances**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{\(t\)**-Test for Equality of Means**} \\ \cline{2-6}  & **F** & **Sig.** & **\(\Delta\)T (\({}^{\circ}\)C)** & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Std. Error** \\ **Difference** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **One-Sided** \\ \(p\) **Value** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Arm & 0.157 & 0.694 & 0.8867 & 0.3202 & 0.004 \\ \hline Radial branch & 1.698 & 0.200 & 0.7787 & 0.3660 & 0.020 \\ \hline Forefinger metacarpophalangeal & 1.829 & 0.184 & 1.1573 & 0.4673 & 0.009 \\ \hline Forefinger proximal & 0.049 & 0.826 & 1.0892 & 0.5152 & 0.021 \\ \hline Forefinger distal & 0.007 & 0.934 & 1.0650 & 0.5196 & 0.024 \\ \hline Little metacarpophalangeal & 1.331 & 0.256 & 1.2027 & 0.4729 & 0.008 \\ \hline Little proximal & 0.134 & 0.717 & 1.2613 & 0.5318 & 0.011 \\ \hline Little distal & 0.051 & 0.823 & 1.1667 & 0.5713 & 0.024 \\ \hline Middle metacarpophalangeal & 3.949 & 0.054 & 1.1387 & 0.4619 & 0.009 \\ \hline Middle proximal & 0.556 & 0.460 & 1.1800 & 0.5092 & 0.013 \\ \hline Middle distal & 0.210 & 0.649 & 1.1453 & 0.5324 & 0.019 \\ \hline Ring metacarpophalangeal & 1.771 & 0.191 & 1.3333 & 0.4784 & 0.004 \\ \hline Ring medial & 0.546 & 0.464 & 1.1747 & 0.5456 & 0.019 \\ \hline Ring distal & 0.162 & 0.689 & 1.0867 & 0.6051 & 0.040 \\ \hline Thumb metacarpophalangeal & 0.156 & 0.695 & 0.7987 & 0.3794 & 0.021 \\ \hline Thumb proximal & 0.004 & 0.948 & 0.8000 & 0.4451 & 0.040 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* F—test statistic of [PERSON]’s test. Sig—\(p\)-value corresponding to this test statistic. \(\Delta\)T—thermal difference between the mean temperatures of the injured and the control groups. Std. Error Difference—Standard Error Difference.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Results of [PERSON]’s test for equality of variances and independent samples \(t\)-test for equality of means between the injured group and the control group for hand dorsum. comparatively cooler patterns in the control hand as opposed to the globally warmer thermal patterns observed in the hand with pathology. Hence, the temperature increase can result from inflammatory processes and increased blood flow associated with hand neuropathies and orthopaedic conditions. Additionally, factors such as infection can also contribute to an increase in temperature. In the context of medical diagnosis, monitoring temperature variations is crucial for identifying and understanding underlying health conditions. It serves as a valuable indicator in assessing the severity of inflammation and understanding the impact of neuropathies and orthopaedic disorders.