Numerous studies have shown that stress has an impact on the human body. The world-renowned MilanLab has acknowledged this and uses data on the psycological state of mind of players as a single predictor of injury.

It is estimated that around 3,000 professional footballers in the UK will be without a contract by the end of this season. This is good news for some managers who can choose who they want for next season. This is not so good for the players and to be honest it can be very stressful for them.

Numerous studies have shown that stress has an effect on the human body, which can significantly affect the risk of injury among footballers. The world-famous Milan Lab (AC Milan medical lab) has acknowledged this and uses the players’ mental health data as one predictor of injury.

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Since its introduction, the Milan Laboratory has had a kind of magical feel. Apparently, no matter how bad the damage is, the medical staff at AC Milan are always there to fix it.

The man behind MilanLab is a Belgian chiropractor named Jean-Pierre Meersseman. He began to look at the players as a whole

The Milan Lab is a technologically advanced research center whose goal is to optimize the psychosocial condition of an athlete to help him achieve and maintain sports performance at the highest level. At the same time, it also helps medical personnel to predict harm. The vision of the Milan Laboratory is to look at the athlete as a whole and the results have been impressive.

According to the Laboratory’s own data, the number of non-traumatic injuries (such as hamstring injuries and back pain) has dropped by as much as 92% since its inception in 2002. In the past, the sheer number of injuries saw AC Milan use around 35 players per season. Currently, that number has dropped drastically to around 22.

Most of us understand that to achieve optimal performance, you need proper condition and nutrition. In the conservative world of football, however, the mental aspect is often supervised. Not at AC Milan, however: they took it to the next level. At the club, they created a peace of mind. In this room, the mental state of the athletes is examined and monitored in a glass facility. Players use comfortable ergonomic seats to project relaxing images while psychologists monitor their mental state using miniature electrodes mounted on the players’ heads that are connected to a computer. Peace of mind is used to improve the recovery rate of players between matches and provides them with the opportunity to overcome negative stress. The facility helps players relax and relieve stress.

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But it doesn’t stop there. MilanLab has also invested in an artificial intelligence computer system that collects and processes information. All the information available regarding the player, physical, biochemical and psychological, is fed into this system. This system is capable of “learning” through the process of memorizing data that can determine which factors will cause a player to get injured. Medical personnel use the traffic light system to determine if a player is fit enough to play. Only those who have the green light will be able to play.

At AC Milan, the psychosocial well-being of the players is a more valuable asset than in the football team as a whole, as the players on the pitch are more important from a sporting point of view than from an economic point of view.