# Hand Neuropathies and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Complementary Diagnosis Using IR Thermography
## 3 Results and Discussion
A comprehensive understanding of these temperature increments aids healthcare professionals in formulating targeted treatment plans and providing more effective patient care. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**\(t\)-Test for Equality of Means**} \\ \cline{2-6}  & **F** & **Sig.** & **AT (\({}^{\circ}\)C)** & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Std. Error** \\ **Difference** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **One-Sided** \\ \(p\) **Value** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline Arm & 1.471 & 0.233 & 0.7107 & 0.2783 & 0.007 \\ \hline Median branch & 0.808 & 0.374 & 0.9320 & 0.3539 & 0.006 \\ \hline Ulnar branch & 0.833 & 0.367 & 0.9973 & 0.3772 & 0.006 \\ \hline Forefinger metacarpophalangeal & 0.343 & 0.562 & 1.1240 & 0.4506 & 0.009 \\ \hline Forefinger proximal & 0.239 & 0.628 & 1.1875 & 0.4881 & 0.010 \\ \hline Forefinger distal & 0.692 & 0.411 & 1.1517 & 0.5289 & 0.018 \\ \hline Little metacarpophalangeal & 1.731 & 0.196 & 1.4213 & 0.4610 & 0.002 \\ \hline Little proximal & 4.210 & 0.057 & 3.4867 & 1.5610 & 0.016 \\ \hline Little distal & 2.524 & 0.120 & 1.5587 & 0.6634 & 0.012 \\ \hline Middle metacarpophalangeal & 1.299 & 0.261 & 1.2093 & 0.3806 & 0.001 \\ \hline Middle proximal & 1.623 & 0.211 & 1.4408 & 0.4846 & 0.003 \\ \hline Middle distal & 0.728 & 0.399 & 1.3360 & 0.5783 & 0.013 \\ \hline Ring metacarpophalangeal & 2.461 & 0.125 & 1.2293 & 0.4413 & 0.004 \\ \hline Ring proximal & 2.104 & 0.155 & 1.5233 & 0.5131 & 0.003 \\ \hline Ring distal & 1.637 & 0.208 & 1.4987 & 0.6223 & 0.010 \\ \hline Thumb metacarpophalangeal & 0.076 & 0.784 & 0.8107 & 0.3456 & 0.012 \\ \hline Thumb proximal & 0.213 & 0.647 & 1.0600 & 0.4337 & 0.010 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* \({}^{\text{F--test statistic of [PERSON]’s test. Sig.--_p_-value corresponding to this test statistic. AT—thermal difference between the mean temperatures of the injured and the control groups. Std. Error Difference—Standard Error Difference.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: 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 palm. Figure 7: Thermal patterns associated with healthy control (left hand) and with pathology (right hand) in dorsal (**a**) and palmar views (**b**) of the same subject. In order to investigate the potential of infrared thermography as a complementary and validating tool for diagnosing hand neuropathies and musculoskeletal disorders, the results were segmented by pathology to establish associations between thermal differences in specific hand regions. Due to the volume of information, which was extensive for inclusion in a single chart, the data were categorised into three subgroups: CTS, Dupuytren's contracture, and Osteoarthritis; CuTS, Tenosynovitis of Quervain, and Distal radius fracture; and Hemiparesis, Rhizarthrosis, and Rupture of ulnar collateral ligament. Thus, three radar graphs illustrating thermal asymmetry between pathological hands and their healthy contralaterals were produced for each considered ROI, as illustrated in Figure 8. Participants with bilateral pathology were appropriately excluded from the dataset, since it would not be possible to compare the injured hand with the contralateral one. According to Figure 8, the ROIs exhibiting significant temperature asymmetry for patients with CTS include the median branch, forefinger proximal, middle distal, and thumb proximal with a thermal difference of up to 2.5. Furthermore, the remaining ROIs also exhibited a positive thermal difference, between 0.2 and 1.3, indicating warmer  
Figure 8: Thermal differences between hands with pathology and control healthy hands segmented based on pathology: CTS, [PERSON]’s contracture, Osteoarthritis (**a**); CuTS, Tenosynovitis of Quervain, Distal radius fracture (**b**); Hemiparesis, Rhizarthrosis, and Rupture of ulnar collateral ligament (**c**). thermal patterns in the pathological hands.