Table 2.
Studies evaluating weighted ball program injury risk
| Author | Year | # Participants | Training time (weeks) | Competition level | Weight of ball | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleisig [8•] | 2017 | 25 | 3 trials of 10 different exercises | High school and college | 4,5,6,7,14,32 oz. | Increase in ball mass is associated with increased elbow flexion torque |
| Reinold [11•] | 2018 | 38 | 6 weeks | High school | 2–32 oz. | 24% injury rate in experimental group |
| Marsh [16] | 2018 | 17 | 6 weeks | College and professional | 3.5–70 oz. | No increase in ER, elbow varus torque |
| Fleisig [18] | 2006 | 34 | 10 full effort fastballs | Youth (9–12 years old) | 4-5 oz. | With decreased ball weight, decreased elbow varus and shoulder IR torque |
| Okoroha [34] | 2019 | 19 | 5 maximum effort fastballs | Youth (9–14 years old) | 3,4,5,6 oz. | Increase in ball weight correlates with greater medial elbow torque |
| Reinold [35•] | 2020 | 16 | 3 trials of 27 throws | High school | 2,4,5 oz.; 5,6,9 oz.; 5,16,32 oz. | Shoulder ER increased with overweight balls, but not with underweight balls |