What Are the Risks Of Paintball?

Paintball is awesome! You get to run around, hide behind things and shoot people with a paintball gun. But with fun, there lie risks. Now you might be wondering if there are any risks involved in playing this sport or not. Well, the short answer is yes – there are risks associated with paintballing. 

And when it’s about health and safety, you must know the risks of paintball in order to keep yourself safe. Otherwise, the fun can anytime turn into remorse!

Some of the risks of paintball are- cuts, bruises, twisted ankles, temporary vision loss, tripping, eye injury, ear injury, internal bleeding, head injury, concussion, etc. 

Don’t get worried; you can prevent paintball injuries by knowing safety measures and by wearing the right clothing and paintball equipment. In this guide, I will discuss more about the risks of injuries in paintball and what you need to know to stay safe. I also have a list of safety talks to help you stay safe. 

So let’s find out how safe paintball is and ways to reduce the risk of serious injuries.

Can you Get Seriously Injured in Paintball?

While paintball may not be considered an extreme sport, it can still be dangerous if you’re not properly prepared. This game is full of strategic and tactical challenges that involve running around with paintball markers filled with colorful paints trying to hit another player wearing protective gear and armed with a gun. So, yes, you can get seriously injured in paintball, along with minor injuries, if you get shot with a paintball gun in the wrong spot. 

When someone is hit by a paintball, it can cause serious damage to the eyes, ears, lungs, skin, and even bones.

Let’s know about some of the major injuries that occur while playing paintball.

• Eye Injuries

Eye-related injuries are the most serious and account for up to 85% of all injuries. A large percentage of all injuries are eye injuries; around 85% of all injuries are eye injuries, including loss of vision, eye surgeries, and sometimes completely removing the eyes. And most of the victims and creators of these injuries are kids and teenagers. But you can easily avoid this hit in the eye just by wearing safety goggles. 

• Ear Injuries

Another most frequent paintball injury is ear damage, and it’s also considered serious damage. If the ball hits the ear directly, it can cause a hematoma by destroying the cartilage of the ear, and if it hits the canal, then it will split the eardrum and attack the ossicles, which are the bone structure of the ear. Additionally, if the ball doesn’t hit the ear but even close to the ear from a short distance, you’re likely to suffer from a ruptured eardrum, partial hearing loss, tinnitus, and cauliflower ear.

• Brain injury

Paintball can also lead to brain injury. When players take direct hits to their heads, it can cause devastating damage to the skull and brain tissues and cause brain injury, including oxygen depletion, concussions, skull fractures, brain hemorrhaging, post-traumatic headache syndrome, and in some cases, may result in coma or even death due to severe bleeding inside the head. Sometimes a simple falling in the field can also cause this.

• Other Injuries

With all that being said, the number of deaths related to paintball is extremely rare, which is peace of mind. After two deaths were reported due to a carbon-dioxide canister being detached from the marker gun in 2004, the CPSC issued a paintball gun safety warning.

Both terrible injuries occurred when a canister blew off and struck both a player and a spectator. 

However, there are risks involved in paintball sports, no matter what level of play someone is at. So, be sure to follow the paintball safety rules and regulations of the paintball game, such as avoiding blind shooting and saving lives. This can help you to avoid eye injuries and other injuries caused by a paintball. 

Can a Paintball Cause a Concussion?

Yes, paintball can cause a concussion. As I already told you, paintball can lead to serious damage, and also mentioned concussion is one of them. When you don’t wear the proper protective gear like a mask or helmet and get struck with a paintball in the head at high speed, you can face a concussion. This can make the players unconscious immediately or even lead to death. Even if you are wearing ear-protective gear, you are still not out of the dangers of paintball. A hit with a paintball in the eardrum directly can cause significant damage to your hearing. So you should be very careful while using paintball guns and try to save yourself from getting hit in the head or neck area.

What Happens If You Get Hit by a Paintball?

If you get hit by a paintball, sometimes it too hurts, sometimes only a quick sting, and sometimes you can’t even notice the shot until you see paint splatters. So what happens when you get shot with paintballs results differently in a different situation. It depends on where the paintball strikes, at which speed hitted, and what safety gear you have worn at all times. Let’s know in detail in a few sceneries.

• Getting hitted with recreational paintballs: Mostly, this type of paintball is used by new paintball players who just want to play for fun. People play paintballs at a lower speed with these ammos. So, if you get shot in the gameplay at 50 yards distance with these paintballs, even on bare skin, you will feel nothing. Not even a sting, let alone common injuries. Sometimes you can’t even say you have been shotted if you have worn proper equipment. 
• Getting hitted with high speed paintballs: High-speed (200 miles per hour) paintballs are used only by professional players for tournament gameplay, and it hurt badly. If you get hitted by these, you will feel it instantly. You will feel the sting like a rubber band flicking on your arm. Many paintballs can lead to painful welts and bruises (without protective gears) and sometimes minor pain.  
• Getting hitted with different sizes of gun: When you get shot with a .68 caliber, you will feel harsh damping with a dampened bath towel, and when it’s a .50 caliber gun, same feeling with a wet hand towel. And getting shot by a spring-loaded gun is similar to hitting with a washcloth. 
• Getting hitted hard on bare skin: If you have forgotten to wear paintball protection gear, get ready to face lots of pain. Because getting hitted with these paintballs can give you lots of pain and even lead to bleeding. And if the paintballs hit and leave you without breaking, that is going to give you more pain than a usual hit.
• Getting hit with paintballs leaves scars: Be ready to have marks on your skin if you have been shotted with paintball markers at 300 feet per second from a foot away. This will create a dark red ring (a coin size) on the affected spot and, in most cases, leak blood.  This will heal with time, but after giving you lots of pain, it still won’t leave like this. You will have a mark on the spot that will stay forever.

However, when you get shot with a paintball, the most important thing is to stay calm. Try not to scream or run around – these will only make things worse. Instead, leave the game and take medication as fast as possible.

Who Should Not Play Paintball?

Usually, anyone can enjoy paintballing, but it’s better if kids and old aged people are out of the game. Because injuries include in paintball! Plus, kids and senior people can’t do so much running, hiding, and continuing until the game is finished. But if it’s home gameplay where family and friends are playing, everyone can participate. One more thing if you can’t afford proper equipment and gear, then you should avoid this game. Without protective gear, it will hurt more and sometimes can lead to an emergency. So if you are under 14 years old, above 60 years or don’t have the essential gear and equipment, it’s better not to participate in this dangerous game.

What You Should Know For Paintballing

First and foremost, make sure that you are wearing the proper gear – including thick clothing and eye protection – to protect yourself from potential injuries. It’s better to wear clothing that fully cover body from top to bottom. Additionally, always play within your limits by staying aware of your surroundings and paying attention to what is happening around you. If something goes wrong, immediately stop playing and seek medical assistance. If you sustain any serious, like deep organ injuries during a game, do not hesitate to report this to the authorities so that it can be investigated further.

How To Make Paitballs Hurt Less?

Well, as we know, paintball hurts when hitted, So when we are in the paintball field, it’s not possible not to get shotted with paintball, but it’s possible to make paintball hurt less. How? Let’s know in detail below.

• Get ready with the right clothing for the game. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and good quality shoes to fully cover the skin area and other common body parts. Avoid wearing thin clothing and try to wear clothes in layers so injuries come and leave but can’t stay. Padded clothes are best to make the paintballs hurt less.
• Don’t neglect safety equipment.  You should wear a protective vest, hand gloves, knee pads, elbow pads, helmets, goggles, etc., to prevent injuries.
• Some body parts need special care, like necks and the top of the head. So wear headgear for head protection and a special turtle neck sweatshirt to avoid a shoot in the throat and for extra safety. 
• When you see danger, like the bunkers or other players are very near and give you an opportunity to surrender, you should better surrender and save up from a hit rather than fighting.
• If you are facing continuous shots one after one, it’s better to instantly change your body position to not let the paintballs hit the same exposed skin a few times. Hitting at the same spots is potentially dangerous.

How Can I Treat Paintball Bruises?

While paintball scars and welts fade on their own over time, you still need to take immediate care so you may speed up the healing of your skin. Doing so will help to reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling. 

• First, wash the wound with warm soapy water to cleanse any dirt, debris, or blood. This will keep the area clean and prevent skin infection. Then gently dry the wound with a clean cloth. Avoid using alcohol on an open wound to treated for paintball pellet wounds; it will cause skin burning or stinging.
• Next, use a cold compress on the wound; this will shrink the blood vessel and make the healing process faster, preventing swelling and relieving bruising.  Then it’s time to switch to a hot or warm compress. Heat will help to reduce inflammation and can soothe your pain. Keep doing this a few times, first, cold compress; after fifteen minutes, warm compress, then one hour rest, and again repeat this. 
• Sometimes these wounds can be very deep and don’t relieve with a cold or warm compress. In that case, according to healthline you can take Tylenol or Motrin OTC (over the counter) medications.
• You can also keep your wounded part elevated; this will prevent blood from flowing into the affected area and reduce swelling and inflammation. You can rest your leg or arm on top of stacked pillows. 
• After the gameplay, it’s normal to feel sore; in that case, you can soak your muscles in half a cup of Epsom salt mixed with bathwater for 20 minutes. This will relax your sore muscles and also make the skin inflammation free. 

FAQs

When can I take off the paintball game safety mask?

You can only take off the safety mask when the referee says so. Aside from that, you keep the mask on whether you’re eliminated, merely watching from the sidelines or moving on to another ground for the next game.

Is Paintball a dangerous sport?

Paintball is not a dangerous sport. In a 2003 study by the National Injury Information Clearinghouse, the authority stated that paintball is safer than other sports. And in 2008, the AHRQ released reports mention only 614 people among paintball players ended up in ED (Emergency Department) drive-by paintball injuries.

Do I need to be fit for playing paintball?

No, you won’t need to be fit to participate in paintball. It’s a game that pretty much anyone can play regardless of how good their overall level of fitness is.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s your decision whether to play paintball or not. While there has a risk of facing a few common paintball injury risk like cuts, bruises, sprained ankles, tripping, etc. Paintball also has a risk of serious injuries as well. Eye injury is the most severe injury a paintballer can face; then the list goes on with ear injury, head injury, concussion, internal bleeding, etc.  

One thing is for sure, though, if you follow the rules and regulations, and safety rules like wearing protective clothes and gear, severe injuries could be reduced, and you can enjoy the thrill of danger and the excitement of playing paintball.