Do You Get Bruises From Paintball?

29 May 2024
Paintball Smoke

One common worry that we hear from people who want to play paintball is that it might hurt, or they might come away covered in bruises. Many parents can also worry that their kids might get hurt while playing and it can put some people off altogether. We’re here to help you find the best ways to avoid pain or bruising from being hit by a paintball. So do you get bruises from paintballs?

The impact from a paintball can cause bruising in some circumstances, however, this can be mitigated by wearing the correct protective clothing. Paintball bruises are generally mild and nothing to worry about, especially if it hits clothing first. Overall, paintballing is safe and being hit only feels like a sharp sting.

Read on to find out more about bruises from paintball, if the bruises are dangerous, how long paintball bruises last, and how to avoid and treat paintballing bruises.

Do You Get Bruises From Paintball?

Depending on a range of factors such as where the paintball hits your body, what you’re wearing, and how close the shooter is, you can sometimes get bruises from the impact. When the paintball hits, the feeling can range from a tap to a sharp sting, which is why we always recommend wearing the right gear to reduce any pain and bruising.

In general, paintball is a very safe game as long as you follow the rules and advice of the staff. You’re more likely to get hurt if you’re not careful when running around the arena than you are by being hit by a paintball.

Are Paintball Bruises Dangerous?

Paintball bruises are generally very mild and not too sore to the touch, so it’s not anything to worry about. The velocity of the paintballs isn’t enough to cause any lasting damage when it hits clothing over your skin, and will only break the skin in extremely rare cases or sometimes if it directly impacts bare skin.

Pictures Of Paintball Bruising

As mentioned above, paintballing bruises are generally very mild and not serious. It might help to calm your nerves to see some images of what can happen. Here’s some pictures of what a bruise from normal paintball looks like: 

An example of paintball bruising

How Long Do Paintball Bruises Last?

To heal completely, paintball bruises might take up to two weeks to go away. However, any pain or soreness from the bruise will subside much sooner, likely within a few days.

With that being said, different people bruise differently, so for some people, this might take one week to heal completely, while for others it could take 3 weeks. In general, though, there’s no reason to worry if it takes a little bit longer for you.

How To Avoid Paintball Bruises

The best way to avoid paintball bruises is to dress appropriately. At Velocity Paintball, we provide full-body camouflage with neck protection and full or half-head safety masks to ensure that everything is adequately protected. The camouflage consists of a full body overall, which should protect your skin (and clothes) from any damage.

We also provide paintballing gloves to protect your fingers from being hit on the skin. I’ve personally been hit on the bare fingernail on a cold winter’s day, and let me tell you… that hurts!

As long as you’re wearing the full protective gear correctly though, you won’t feel the same pain as me, and the worst you’ll get is a nice bruise. If you want to protect yourself even more, wearing layers or thicker clothing under the overall is also an option, just make sure you’re not going to overheat if it’s a warm day while you’re running around!

For more information on how to dress to protect from paintballs, read our blog: What should you wear to paintball?

Do You Get Bruises From Low-Impact Paintball?

Low-impact paintball is a version of paintball that is gentler and uses low-velocity guns with smaller paintballs to ensure a more painless experience. This makes it perfect for children as well as adults that want to avoid being hurt!

Generally, low-impact paintballs won’t hurt as much when you get hit, however you’ll still feel it very lightly. This will also take away the risk of any big bruises or welts. While you may still see some red skin and get a very small and painless bruise, you won’t get any painful bruising like you might with normal paintballs.

How To Treat Paintball Bruises

You don’t actually need to do anything to treat any bruises that you’ve accumulated from paintballing. Bruises will go away in their own time and there isn’t much you can do to speed up that process.

In the rare event that it’s causing a lot of pain, you could try taking some paracetamol to alleviate this. You can also apply an ice pack to reduce swelling and soothe the bruise.

Other than this though, you’ll have to wait and allow the bruise time to heal.

Worried About Bruises? Go For Low Impact Paintball

If you’re worried about bruising or getting hurt from paintballing, fear not! Our low-impact paintballing uses low-velocity paintball guns that ensures that there is no bruising or pain from being shot.

Each of our paintballing centres offers a unique and different experience that’s tailor made just for paintball! Our staff are fully trained and experts in paintballing safety and know the best way to make a great paintballing experience.

Get in touch with us today to discuss your party requirements or book online today.