Case Research in Sports Physiotherapy: A Review of Studies and a Proposal for a Decisional Guideline Checklist

Abstract

Background: Case research provides a rich source of data, which can be used to challenge and evaluate practice and to inform the development of new theories. The aim of this study was to review the methodologies and explore the findings, discuss the contribution of case research to sports physiotherapy, and propose a decisional guideline checklist for the development and evaluation of case research papers. Methods: A literature search was conducted using a systematic approach. In total, 2468 records were screened of which 51 fully met the inclusion criteria. The checklist proposal was built based on the existing literature and published guidelines. Results: Case research of the lower limb accounted for 55,3% of the literature of which 25% were knee injuries. Soccer, running, and basketball were the most frequently reported sports. Effects of intervention were described in 51% of cases, innovative approach in 27,5% and unusual findings in 21,6%. Only 8,3% of the reports dealt with unsuccessful cases. Limitations include inconsistent use of categorization and limited information on application of case research methods applied to sports physiotherapy. A pilot test evaluation of the checklist alerts to the need for both a decisional and an evaluation tool. Conclusions: An arbitrary categorization and lack of rule definition can, together with the overlapping of definitions, limit the relevance of this research and subsequent impact on practice.