The ad is a fake!

[Bwaites]

The add you are talking about, in Sports Illustrated and Martha Stewart Magazine(?!?) is a fake!

The models real, the paintgun is real, all the rest is either airbrushed or handpainted in. My wife, who handpaints photography, noticed it immediately, and I did too as soon as I quit trying to figure out what kind of gun it was!

She was never in any danger from paintballs. By the way, I've been in stores in the last 6 months that still have only eye protection, not face protection. Supposedly, some of the top players still like playing with that in non-sanctioned tourneys, but I haven't seen anyone do that.

Bill

[Paintchucker]

The real problem is not whether she is really in danger or not, but the way it portrays paintball. Unless you are a pro player trying to win a tournament and hoping to get a "bounce" off your cheek, there is great danger in not wearing full face protection...

[Bwaites]

Danger?

As a medical professional, (I work in an Urgent Care Center on weeeeeekends, some are pretty long! and in an Internal Medicine office during the week) I think danger equals permanent, traumatic disfigurement or life threatening loss. While a paintball to the nose or mouth might rip or tear some skin, it wouldn't be worse than a blow from a fist, and they don't allow boxers to wear face protection. They don't allow basketball players to do it either and I've seen a fair number of broken teeth, noses and lacerations that I can't in any way imagine a paintball causing.

I can imagine one circumstance as possibly life threatening, an open mouth shot where the ball impacts the soft palate/uvula and causes traumatic damage that then swells causing airway obstruction, but I have never heard of an ER visit for that type of injury, although I realize I certainly haven't heard of every paintball injury.

I can also imagine that a straight ear shot might cause tympanic membrane damage and hearing loss, but so can diving off a diving board at a the pool or a fall while water skiing. (I have seen both in the last ten years in ER's or Urgent Care Centers)

I have NEVER, in 10 years, seen a paintball injury severe enough to warrant a visit to the Urgent Care or ER.

Before everyone thinks that I'm a nut, I believe in face protection and wear it, I require anyone playing with me to wear it or not play. I also encourage everyone playing to wear a protective cup, but I bet that the majority of people here don't.

In reality, it's an advertisement, don't take it too seriously.

THE place to promote safety is wherever YOU play. I haven't yet met a player who found paintball on his own, without a friend intoducing it to him, though I have heard of a few.

Peace.

Bill


The meek shall inherit the Earth, but they better not show up to play paintball with me!!

[InfinatyBPS]

am i the only one that...

has no idea of whats going on? someone enlighten me.

[DaXtremeist]

those gogles are legal at many fields ive seen several people use them that way... (pro players) only at local fields never in tourny.

[Bwaites]

Whats going on?

See the otherr posts on the site about the funny ad in Martha Stewart.

Bill

[Minimag4me]

Bwates: you were talking about getting hid directly in the mouth like the back part?(i dont know your medical terms:))
That would suck.

Also what if your mouth was open and you got hit in the cheek, would it go through like punch a hole in the soft cheek skin? That would suck also.

[FooTemps]

Paintballs can get under goggles fairly easily. It's still very dangerous without the rest of the mask. If a ball hits on your cheekbone there's a big possiblity it might slide under your goggle.

[-sCaN-]

Bwaits...u havent personally seen anyone in the er from a paintball wound but the one day i forgot the gloves and i played 1 game at the field i work at...i shattered my pinky hence the new name i recently aquired after the incedent..."pinky"

it hurt like hel and i had to go into the er...i tore my flexor and extendor tendens in half, hyperextended it, and shattered the bone...stupid brittle paintball that automatically heatsink to my pinky to cause me great pain...hrmmm

sCaN

[shartley]

-sCaN-

[Bwaites]

Ok, guys!

Yes paintball injuries happen, but I was referring to the risk of facial injury due to not wearing a full face mask, not the bizarre injuries discussed so far. Footemps, I appreciate your comment on the force of a paintball getting underneath and can see that there is some risk there.

If anyone knows of a significant (meaning that it caused long term consequences) facial injury caused by a paintball please post it.

Minimag4me, yes the top back soft part of your mouth is the soft palate and the thing hanging down is the uvula. And no, a paintball (under normal conditions) cannot penetrate through the cheek.


Bill

[j7million]

What ad? Where?

[Paintchucker]

Does Eye Bleeding Count???

Originally posted by Bwaites

I have NEVER, in 10 years, seen a paintball injury severe enough to warrant a visit to the Urgent Care or ER.

Here are couple "goodies" from Google

and National Library of Medicine Paintball Eye Injuries



According to the new report, there were no cases of paintball-related eye injuries reported to the Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology from June 1992 to June 1996, but 11 cases of paintball-related eye bleeding and swelling occurred between 1996 and1998, report Drs. John W. Kitchens and Ronald P. Danis, ophthalmologists from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. This accounts for about 4% of yearly eye injuries reported to the state eye injury registry, the investigators note.

...

All injured players were men with an average age of 22. While two men were wearing eyewear, none were wearing safety goggles at the time of the eye injury. Bleeding and swelling were the most common injuries, and eyesight was severely affected in all cases. Four players required immediate surgery, and in two cases, eye damage was permanent, according to the report.

Paintball Eye Injuries

And FooTemps was right and gets major bonus points for a non-post whore post! j/k!!!


However, injuries can occur despite their use; for example, there are case reports of a pellet driving a goggle lens into an eye and of paint entering through ventilation holes in the sides, staining the cornea

American Journal of Emergency Medicine Ocular injuries from paintball


My own experiences have seen one trip to the ER and one tragic eye injury narrowly avoided... I was playing on a newly opened paintball field back in like 1993. There was still a little brush and stuff that needed to be cleaned up. A slightly overweight middle aged "Weekend Warrior" went running across the field and attempted to to hurdle a fallen sapling. He caught his foot in it and ended up with a compound fracture in his leg.

In 1995, I was watching a pro-team practice 5v5 on a speedball field. Now keep in mind that this all took place in less than 5 seconds. A player came running up to crush another player. He slipped and fell making a huge thud on the ground and knocked his goggles off his face. He immediately threw his hands up over his eyes, as the player he was attempting to crush jumped up, and laid a string of 5 shots up his chest. That is the most scared I have even been in paintball...

[Bwaites]

Nice job Paintchucker!

But once again, none of the men were wearing safety goggles.

The fall and loss of goggles is a big concern, and one of the reasons that this nearly middle aged (I'm fast approaching 40) player wears goggles that also have a chin strap!

There is no doubt that the eyes are at risk, but this whole post started with a dsicussion about whether the young lady in the ad was at risk without a full face shield and in a staged and handpainted picture.

Bill

[AngelBoy]

Ive never seen anyone get a facial injury while wearing full face protection. I had a very bad neck injury last august, and the scar on my neck is still very noticeable. I suggest to everyone that you wear a neck protector.