Vizbodx aims to advance return-to-play evaluation with a framework that visualizes force recovery and thermal recovery together

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vizbodx Inc., a medical technology company developing infrared thermal intelligence tools for sports medicine, today announced the filing of a provisional patent for Thermal Concordance Mapping (TCM), a structured visualization framework designed to present force symmetry and infrared thermal recovery patterns together during return-to-play evaluation.

Return-to-play decisions following musculoskeletal injury have traditionally relied heavily on force-based assessments, most commonly the Limb Symmetry Index (LSI). While force symmetry remains widely used in clinical practice, growing research has raised questions about whether force recovery alone fully reflects biological recovery or readiness for return to sport.

Thermal Concordance Mapping was developed to make infrared thermal recovery patterns visible alongside force symmetry data so clinicians can evaluate both signals together during recovery.

Infrared thermal asymmetry may reflect underlying physiological activity associated with tissue stress, inflammation, vascular response, or incomplete recovery. TCM organizes this information into a structured display that allows clinicians to compare force recovery and thermal recovery simultaneously rather than reducing recovery to a single pass/fail score.

The framework identifies what Vizbodx calls the Plateau phenotype: athletes who demonstrate restored force symmetry on conventional testing while thermal recovery patterns remain unresolved. These athletes may satisfy traditional force-based return-to-play benchmarks while continuing to display physiological asymmetries that warrant additional clinical consideration.

“For years, clinicians have relied primarily on force symmetry to guide return-to-play decisions,” said Dr. João Paulo Bezerra Leite, orthopedic surgeon, regenerative medicine specialist, and Chief Medical Officer of Vizbodx. “Thermal Concordance Mapping gives clinicians another layer of physiological information to evaluate during recovery.”

Research supporting the use of infrared thermography in musculoskeletal evaluation has demonstrated that thermal asymmetries can be associated with injury and may change throughout the recovery process. Vizbodx stated that ongoing research is focused on further characterizing the clinical significance of Thermal Concordance Mapping findings, including the Plateau phenotype.

“The question clinicians are trying to answer is not, ‘Can this athlete produce symmetrical bilateral force across the repaired and uninjured limb?’ The central question is, ‘Is this athlete ready?’ Thermal Concordance Mapping makes both the biomechanical and physiological signals visible, so clinicians can weigh them together before making a clearance decision.”

About Thermal Concordance Mapping

Thermal Concordance Mapping is a proprietary visualization framework developed by Vizbodx, Inc. and is the subject of a pending provisional patent application. The framework presents force symmetry, thermal symmetry, and thermal trajectory data in a structured display for review by qualified professionals. Vizbodx intends to advance TCM toward a clinically validated return-to-play protocol as the evidence base matures.

About Vizbodx Inc.

Vizbodx, Inc. is a Birmingham, Alabama-based medical technology company developing an infrared thermal intelligence platform for sports and occupational medicine. The company’s platform visualizes, organizes, and presents thermal data, including bilateral comparisons and longitudinal trend analysis, for review by qualified professionals. Vizbodx does not render diagnoses or clinical determinations and serves as a complementary information tool used by medical professionals in the evaluation of athletes, workers, servicemen, and servicewomen.

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SOURCE Vizbodx Inc.