Mooney & Associates recently won a case for an injured Pennsylvania worker that included bilateral avascular necrosis. The claimant had both left and right hips replaced and the insurance carrier was forced to pay for both hip replacements.
Generally, avascular necrosis of the hip (AVN) is a degenerative condition that is not completely understood by the medical community. Essentially, avascular hip necrosis is a dying bone condition within the hip that in most cases will lead to a hip replacement. It is not a condition that is caused by a traumatic injury, such as falling or getting hit in the hip with an object. However, it is also a condition that many injured workers may have, but have no previous knowledge of such condition and no prior hip pain.
These types of non-traumatic conditions will almost always lead to the issuance of a workers compensation denial from your employer’s workers compensation insurance carrier. Any ‘pre-existing condition’ such as degenerative disk disease, a prior surgery, a prior work injury, or a condition like AVN, will always trigger a denial. That is a given. That DOES NOT mean that your pain is not work-related, despite what your employer may tell you.
Every story is different. Did you have pain or symptoms in that area prior to your work incident? Have you gone a significant period of time with no treatment for a prior injury or surgery? What does your doctor say? There are many complex questions to be asked when dealing with a pre-existing condition. There are strategies to be developed and positions to take. Mooney & Associates has a strong track record in winning aggravation/exacerbation cases, just like our gentleman from Hanover, Pennsylvania with the bilateral hip necrosis.
Don’t let your employer tell you that you did not experience a work injury because of a pre-existing condition or because you are an older worker. You do not need to take that. Call Mooney & Associates today at 717-200-HELP to schedule your FREE CONSULTATION with Attorney Mark Buterbaugh or email him direct at mab@mooney4law.com. We stand ready to protect and defend Pennsylvania injured workers!
