AIC and INAIL Launch Groundbreaking Study on Long-Term Joint Health in Professional Soccer Players

The Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL) and the Italian Footballers’ Association (AIC) launched a joint research project today to study the long-term impact of professional football on joint health.

Announced at the Social Football Summit 2026 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, the study specifically examines the prevalence of knee and hip osteoarthritis among current and retired players. The presentation event was moderated by the organizational director of the AIC, Fabio G. Poli, with the participation of the president of the Institute, Fabrizio D’Ascenzo, the president of the Assocalciatori, Umberto Calcagno, the central health superintendent of INAIL, Patrizio Rossi, and the head of the insurance area of the AIC, Raffaele Gragnaniello.

This initiative serves as the first operational development of a five-year memorandum of understanding signed by the two organizations in June 2025.

Approved by the National Ethics Committee, the project studies how high-level athletic careers affect the musculoskeletal system, an area currently underrepresented in medical literature.

“This joint research project testifies to the concreteness of the synergy started last year with the Italian Footballers’ Association,” said INAIL president Fabrizio D’Ascenzo. “For the Institute, protecting the health of sports workers represents a priority commitment, in line with the regulatory evolution that has recognized the centrality of these professional figures.”

The study will collect data from a sample of approximately 2,500 male and female athletes, all of whom are at least 30 years old and have completed at least three seasons as professionals. Participants will complete an anonymous, structured questionnaire detailing their joint conditions, injury history, and any symptoms of joint pain.

Comparative data analysis through 2027

To evaluate the long-term effects of professional play, researchers will compare the athletes’ data against a control group composed of INAIL employees. This methodology is intended to isolate the impact of the intense biomechanical stresses inherent in professional football from other lifestyle factors.

“With this study, we will provide concrete answers to footballers, accompanying them during their careers but also in the period following their retirement from sports activity,” explained AIC president Umberto Calcagno. “We are delving into joint pathologies that can heavily affect the quality of life after football.”

“Vogliamo offrire risposte concrete a calciatori e calciatrici, accompagnandoli sia durante la carriera sia nella fase successiva al ritiro dall’attività sportiva” says the president of the AIC, Umberto Calcagno, who was also present at the Stadium together with the central health superintendent of INAIL, Patrizio Rossi, and the head of the AIC insurance area, Raffaele Gragnaniello.

Between January and June 2027, athletes who report joint symptoms and provide informed consent will be eligible for voluntary, in-depth medical-legal evaluations at various INAIL territorial offices. According to the research plan, the statistical analysis and data processing are scheduled to conclude by September 2027.

Scientific basis for future prevention

The project seeks to establish new primary prevention guidelines and refine medical-legal criteria for assessing overload-related pathologies. INAIL central health superintendent Patrizio Rossi emphasized that the study is necessary because professional joint conditions often manifest years after an athlete has left the pitch. “Scientific knowledge is the essential prerequisite for any effective intervention and prevention strategy,” said Rossi.

“Unlike injuries, which occur at a precise moment during a career, professional and joint overload pathologies often manifest at a distance, even many years after the end of competitive activity.”

Researchers expect to publish the final report of the study between October and December 2027.