Design of a Case Control Study

Case-control studies are categorized in a retrospective study and explore the risks of some exposure(s) for an outcome of interest. Although randomized control trials are known as the highest quality of a study design, case-control studies can be more efficient and suitable when the outcome of interest is rare and/or takes a long time to develop. Case-control studies are also considered when randomization may be unethical. Due to their retrospective nature, case-control studies can be completed with a shorter time and smaller cost than prospective studies. The measure of risk that is calculated in case-control studies is the odds ratio, which is the odds of having the exposure if you have the outcome of interest. The results of case-control studies can lead to strategies to reduce the risk of injury or to improve the clinical outcomes of our treatments. Although study design and protocol should be well structured to avoid some biases, case-control studies can make important contributions to the literature in orthopedic sports medicine research.