When it comes to hip injuries, we often have preconceived assumptions about how they came to be. Perhaps you imagine elderly individuals tripping and falling, or athletes who are injured while performing their sport. While these types of occurrences are certainly a reality, anyone can develop a hip injury. Even the healthiest hips can be damaged by enough trauma or at the wrong time and place.
Workplace hip injuries are a relatively common occurrence. They can be extremely painful and difficult to treat, whether caused by a slip and fall accident, repetitive stress, a motor vehicle accident, or a combination of events. This is especially true when the injury is severe enough that it requires medical treatment or worse, a hip replacement.
Suffering from a hip injury and the accompanying pain and limited mobility that follows is difficult. However, getting the compensation you need to keep the lights on and get back on your feet shouldn’t be. With the help of an experienced Shreveport workers’ comp attorney from Gordon & Gordon Law Firm, you’re sure to get the compensation you deserve from your workers’ comp hip injury settlement.
What are Common Causes of Hip Injury?
Trauma, such as dislocations, fractures, and strains, is the leading cause of hip injuries. Slips and falls, a direct hit to the hip, and motor vehicle accidents are all examples of accidents that may result in this kind of trauma. The following are some other common types of accidents that lead to work-related leg and hip injuries:
- Crush injuries
- Malfunctioning equipment
- Defective machinery
- Defective work tools
- Falls from heights, such as ladders
- Slippery floors
- Repetitive motion
Regardless of what caused the injury, a Shreveport workers’ compensation lawyer can help you in getting a workers’ comp hip injury settlement for medical bills, permanent partial disability benefits, lost wages, and more.
Types of Hip Injury
No matter what the duties of a job entail, employees are often at risk of suffering a hip injury at work. Some of the more common types of hip injuries from workplace accidents include:
Acetabular Fracture
A break in the socket area of your hip joint is what is known as an acetabular fracture. Most acetabular fractures are caused by high-impact events, such as automobile accidents. They can also be a result of simple falls, especially if the person already has osteoarthritis or osteoporosis. To treat an acetabular fracture and stabilize the hip joint, surgery is typically required.
Burning Thigh Pain (Meralgia Paresthetica)
Meralgia paresthetica is a condition affecting people working in jobs that demand restricted clothing or heavy tool belts, such as police officers and utility employees. Compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve causes a painful sensation on the outside of the thigh. Compression of this nerve might also be caused by a specific trauma such as a car accident.
Compartment Syndrome
Acute compartment syndrome is commonly caused by a work-related injury. It is a painful ailment that develops when pressure builds up inside your muscles. A reduction in blood flow may result, wherein your neuron and muscle cells aren’t getting the oxygen they need. A shattered bone, serious bruising, or a crush injury are all potential causes of this type of hip injury. This is a critical situation, and you should seek medical attention right away to avoid permanent muscle damage.
Femur Shaft Fracture (Broken Thighbone)
Fracture of the femur takes a great deal of force. These forms of hip injuries, however, can and do occur in the workplace. A femur shaft fracture can happen in work-related vehicle accidents or machinery accidents. It is highly likely that you’ll require extensive surgery to repair a broken thighbone.
Hip Bursitis
Hip bursitis is an inflammatory condition that leads to swelling and inflammation of the bursae (fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joints.) Walking may aggravate hip bursitis and lead to extended periods of unemployment.
Hip Dislocation
When the ball at the top of your femur slips out of its socket, this is what is called a hip dislocation. Hip dislocation damages the ligaments in the hip and is excruciatingly painful, severely limiting a person’s mobility. A number of things may lead to hip dislocation, such as a car accident or a fall from a height at work.
Hip Fracture
When the upper half of the femur breaks, an employee suffers a hip fracture. A hip fracture requires surgery and can lead to the employee missing several weeks of work to recover.
Hip Labral Tear
A hip labral tear is caused by a workplace incident such as a fall or direct trauma that twists the joint. This damages the cartilage that surrounds the hip socket.
Hip Strain
You may experience a hip strain if your job duties require you to make any quick or sudden movements, which may result in stretched or damaged muscles in the hip area. It may also result from a slip and fall or from your hip taking a direct blow. Hip strains can also lead to more severe hip injuries in the future.
Osteoarthritis of the Hip
Arthritis is a common ailment affecting many workers in their middle age. This may be due to everyday wear and tear on the body.
Pelvic Fracture
A ring of bones between the spine and legs make up the pelvis. Typically, pelvic fractures occur after sudden trauma, such as a car accident. Many blood arteries and organs are close to the pelvis, and as a result, internal bleeding and damage from a pelvic fracture require prompt medical intervention. If severe enough, the pelvis may need to be reconstructed with surgery.
Thigh Strain
Your thigh has three sets of muscles: the hamstrings, quadriceps, and adductors. Muscle imbalance and overexertion can both cause thigh strain.
How Much Compensation Will I Get for a Hip Replacement?
There are a number of factors that establish the amount of compensation one is able to receive in their workers’ comp settlement for hip injury. The most valuable injuries restrict you from working, typically requiring temporary total disability and permanent total disability, and require extensive hip surgery and lengthy recovery times.
The average workers’ comp hip injury settlement amount typically increases the older you are. This is because you have less time, opportunity, and ability to recuperate fully from your injury. Other factors considered in a workers comp hip injury settlement include your average weekly wage before your injury, the medical treatment required, the job you performed pre-injury, if liability is accepted, your permanent disability level, and if other injuries occurred in conjunction with the initial injury.
Impairment Rating for Total Hip Replacement
An unbiased professional will need to complete an evaluation of your injuries during an Impairment Rating Evaluation visit (IRE). The rating assigns a percentage number to the level of impairment, ranging from 0 to 100. This is so the worker, employer, and insurer understand how serious the injury is and how much it will affect job duties. It also determines how long a person receives benefits, how much compensation they receive, and if they are able to return to work.
A worker receives the partially disabled classification if their medical impairment rating shows they can return to work in a lower-paying, less stressful position. A worker is totally disabled if they cannot return to work at all. A medical impairment rating may be used to apply for benefits to make up for the loss of income and assist with day-to-day expenses.
After you’ve reached maximum medical improvement (MMI), you and your workers’ compensation lawyer will request a scheduled settlement award. MMI indicates that your doctor believes your hip injury will not improve with treatment. Your doctor assigns an impairment rating based on the percentage of your permanent disability after you reach MMI.
Hip Injury Compensation Amounts
Millions of workers suffer workplace injuries each year. Hip injuries are extremely painful and can be one of the more debilitating injuries, as it is likely hard for you to sit, stand, walk, or work after such an injury. When less invasive treatment isn’t effective, more invasive procedures like hip replacement surgery may be required. As a result, the amount of compensation you receive for your workers’ comp hip injury settlement depends on multiple factors.
Injuries that are easily managed without surgery may typically result in an average workers’ comp injury settlement of anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000. More serious injury cases that require surgery and only limit movement a little or for a short length of time settle for $20,000 to $40,000. The most serious and debilitating workers comp hip injury settlement cases can be worth more than $50,000 depending on the severity and any permanent disability that develops.
Should You Hire An Attorney for Your Workers Comp Hip Injury Settlement?
At Gordon & Gordon Law Firm, we work hard to get you a workers comp hip injury settlement that is greater than the average value for a hip injury. Our dedicated Shreveport personal injury lawyers fight hard for your rights as a victim. Contact our law office right away if you suffered a hip injury on the job.
Remember: there’s no charge if we don’t win your case. We deduct fees from the settlement we get for you. To get a free legal consultation on your case, give Gordon & Gordon Law Firm a call right now at (318) 716-4357.