Nonprofit organization Athletic TIPS recently commended Villanova University’s Basketball Team for its use of a hydration testing method to help identify and alleviate dehydration among athletes.
The aim of Athletic TIPS is to drive expanded awareness and education around the role of multidisciplinary care in the recognition, management, and prevention of sports-related injuries. According to the organization, hydration is key to optimizing health, preventing and recovering from injuries, and enhancing athletic performance, per a media release from Athletic TIPS.
The hydration method at Villanova has been in place for more than a year and is a factor in the elimination of soft-tissue injuries among the team’s players. Villanova strength coach John Shackleton explains how it works: “Everyday an hour before practice, I am in the locker room – I test their urine to see how hydrated they are. It makes them more aware of how they feel when they are hydrated versus when they’re dehydrated.”
“I think the guys are realizing what being hydrated feels like – Their joints don’t hurt, and same thing with their muscles. When you’re dehydrated your muscles are going to be stiff,” he adds in the release.
Joe Carabello, co-founder, Athletic TIPS, explains in the release that, “It is critical that athletes, their coaches, educators, parents and community leaders are implementing proper protocol, such as the hydration method, to reinforce the importance of good health, which will ultimately lead to athletic success.”
“Hats off to Villanova for ensuring the health and well-being of its players comes first, and for its recent 2016 Championship,” he adds.
[Source(s): Athletic TIPS, Business Wire]
