FC Barcelona and the OAFI Foundation collaborate against osteoarthritis in sport

• Both entities agree to promote the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis in sportmen, professional or amateur, from childhood to adulthood
• The collaboration agreement was presented today at the 1st International Congress of Osteoarthritis Patients, organized by OAFI

Dr. Gil Rodas and Dr. Josep Vergés during the presentation OF THE AGREEMENT IN CosmoCaixa

The International Osteoarthritis Foundation (OAFI) and FC Barcelona have signed a collaboration agreement to promote the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis in  athletes, whether professional or amateur, from childhood to adulthood.

Osteoarthritis is a serious degenerative joint disease that causes pain and disability and is often associated with age. However, there are other groups at risk for osteoarthritis. Among them are sportsmen and women. “Uncontrolled physical activity and sport from an early age,” explains Dr. Josep Vergés, President of the OAFI Foundation, “can cause exaggerated wear and tear on the joints and lead to osteoarthritis. In top-level competitive sport, the risk is even greater “.

The head of the medical area of ​​Barça Innovation Hub, Dr. Gil Rodas, stresses that “FC Barcelona, as a multi-sports club that cares for highly demanding athletes, must ensure excellence in the prevention of injuries and therefore we work in many ways to minimize the risk factors that each player may have to develop osteoarthritis in the future. The collaboration with the OAFI Foundation through this agreement will allow us to deepen the preventive work of this disease and also in its treatment “.

Through this agreement the OAFI Foundation and FC Barcelona undertake to develop joint research and innovation projects in the field of osteoarthritis and joint health, as well as programs for the prevention and treatment of the pathology in all areas of sport, from professional to the amateur, as well as at all stages of life, from childhood to adulthood.

The agreement was presented during the 1st International Congress of Osteoarthritis Patients, organized by the OAFI Foundation, which was held on 9 and 10 October at CosmoCaixa, Barcelona, with the collaboration of Obra Social “La Caixa”, and at which more than 150 million osteoarthritis patients from all over the world will be represented.