Charlotte Knee and Hip Injury Lawyer
Legally Reviewed by Marcus Spake: July 22, 2026
Knee and hip injuries from workplace accidents are among the most disruptive injuries a worker can suffer. These joints bear tremendous weight during daily movement, and when they are damaged, even the simplest activities become painful or impossible. Getting back to work, climbing stairs, or simply standing for long periods can become torture after an injury to a knee or hip. The path forward after such an injury requires both aggressive medical rehabilitation and experienced legal advocacy to ensure you receive every benefit the law provides.
Stewart Law Offices understands the burden that knee and hip injuries place on injured workers in Charlotte and throughout Mecklenburg County. Marcus Spake, Of Counsel at Stewart Law Offices and a North Carolina Board Certified Workers’ Compensation attorney, brings more than 14 years of hands-on experience fighting for injured workers whose claims have been underestimated or denied.
Marcus and the full team at Stewart Law Offices are committed to investigating every detail of your case and pursuing the maximum compensation available under North Carolina law. When you work with a Charlotte knee and hip injury attorney from our firm, you gain an advocate who knows the workers’ compensation system inside and out and will push back hard against insurance companies trying to minimize what you receive.
How Common Are Knee and Hip Injuries in Charlotte
Workplace knee and hip injuries happen far more frequently than many workers realize. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, private industry employers reported 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, down 3.1 percent from 2023. Repetitive motion, bodily conditions including joint injuries, and overexertion incidents collectively account for nearly 1 million of those cases annually, with many involving the knees and hips.
In Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, workers in healthcare, warehousing, construction, manufacturing, and retail face particularly elevated risk of joint injuries that can sideline them for months or years. The fact is that knee and hip injuries do not discriminate. Nurses, construction workers, delivery drivers, factory workers, and office employees can all suffer them, often from events that seem minor in the moment but produce major consequences later.
Understanding Knee And Hip Injuries In North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Law
North Carolina workers’ compensation recognizes two main pathways for compensating a knee or hip injury. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-2(6), an “injury” is defined as one caused by accident arising out of and in the course of employment. An accident generally interrupts the normal work routine due to an unexpected or unusual event. Examples such as twisting while lifting or stepping awkwardly may qualify if they involve a specific incident causing identifiable damage.
Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-53, certain repetitive knee and hip conditions may qualify as occupational diseases when they result from job-specific activities. The statute expressly covers bursitis due to intermittent pressure and synovitis caused by trauma in employment. Other repetitive strain conditions, such as tendinopathy or osteoarthritis, may qualify under the catch-all provision if they can be proven to result from causes and conditions characteristic of and peculiar to the particular occupation, rather than ordinary diseases of life to which the general public is equally exposed.
The distinction matters because insurers often argue that knee and hip problems result from pre-existing conditions, age-related wear, or everyday life activities rather than work. A skilled Charlotte knee and hip injury attorney knows how to counter those arguments with medical evidence, work-history documentation, and expert testimony showing the work-relatedness of your condition.
Medical Treatment For Knee And Hip Injuries in Charlotte
North Carolina workers’ compensation covers all reasonable and necessary medical treatment for work-related knee and hip injuries. This includes diagnostic imaging such as X-rays, MRI scans, and CT scans. It includes physician visits, orthopedic consultations, and specialist care. It includes physical therapy and occupational therapy designed to restore function and prevent further deterioration. It includes prescription medications for pain management and inflammation control. It includes medical devices such as braces, crutches, walkers, and canes. And it includes surgery when medical evidence supports the necessity of surgical intervention.
When a knee or hip injury requires work injury surgery, workers’ compensation should cover the entire cost of the procedure, hospital stay, anesthesia, and post-operative care. However, insurers frequently challenge the medical necessity of expensive procedures, particularly total joint replacement.
Our Charlotte work injury attorneys ensure that medical judgment, not insurance company profit motive, determines what treatment you receive. We engage orthopedic experts to opine on the medical necessity of recommended procedures. We present medical literature and established protocols to the insurance company and, if necessary, to the North Carolina Industrial Commission. We fight to ensure that your doctor’s recommendations are honored.
Wage Replacement Benefits for Knee and Hip Injuries in North Carolina Workers’ Compensation
Workers disabled by knee and hip injuries are entitled to wage replacement benefits under the North Carolina workers’ compensation law.
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits, paid at two-thirds (66⅔%) of your average weekly wage, are available while you are unable to work during the acute phase of injury and rehabilitation. The maximum weekly benefit amount for 2026 is $1,446.
- If your knee or hip injury permits you to return to work but only in a reduced capacity at lower wages, Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits cover two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and your current reduced earnings.
- When you reach maximum medical improvement and your condition stabilizes with some permanent impairment, you may be eligible for Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits. These are calculated based on the specific body part affected and the degree of permanent functional limitation, as outlined in the schedule under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-31. Knee and hip injuries often produce significant impairment ratings, particularly when they result in limitation of motion, chronic pain, or the need for assistive devices.
- For the most severe cases, where a knee or hip injury leaves you permanently unable to perform any gainful employment, Permanent Total Disability (PTD) benefits may be available. These benefits continue for the remainder of your life at your temporary total disability rate (subject to the same maximum).
Visit Our Knee and Hip Injury Lawyers in Charlotte, NC
Contact A Charlotte Knee And Hip Injury Attorney Today
A knee or hip injury from work in Charlotte is not something you should navigate alone while managing pain, medical appointments, and the stress of lost income. Stewart Law Offices has spent decades fighting for injured workers in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we have the experience and commitment needed to pursue the maximum compensation available for your knee and hip injury claim. Marcus Spake and our full legal team stand ready to investigate your case thoroughly, challenge any denials, and push back against insurance companies that try to minimize your recovery.
FAQs About Knee And Hip Injuries In Charlotte, NC
Under North Carolina’s no-fault workers’ compensation system, your eligibility for benefits does not depend on whether you were careless or contributed to causing your accident; you can recover benefits as long as your knee injury arose out of and in the course of your employment, with the narrow exceptions of intoxication or intentional self-harm; a slip and fall that results in a knee injury at work typically qualifies regardless of how clumsy the incident was, making it well worth pursuing a claim even if you believe you shared some responsibility.
Yes, because the North Carolina workers’ compensation law under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-53 recognizes occupational diseases including gradual-onset knee conditions caused by repetitive work activities; if your job required you to kneel, squat, climb, or engage in other movements that significantly contributed to your chronic knee pain or knee disease, you may qualify for benefits even without a single dramatic incident, though you will need medical evidence and expert testimony to establish the work-related nature of your condition.
Your Charlotte knee and hip injury lawyer can obtain medical records, imaging studies, and expert orthopedic testimony to show that you had no prior hip fracture, that your pre-existing osteoarthritis was stable and not disabling before the work accident, and that the traumatic impact of your workplace fall caused the fracture; medical experts can opine on how the accident would have fractured a hip even in a younger person with healthy bones, distinguishing the work-caused fracture from your pre-existing arthritis, which is a common and effective strategy for countering insurance company denials.
Yes, if a defective or improperly maintained piece of equipment contributed to causing your hip injury, you likely have a third-party claim against the equipment manufacturer, supplier, or maintenance contractor in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits; these third-party claims can recover pain and suffering, full lost wages, and other damages that workers’ compensation does not cover, potentially resulting in significantly greater total recovery.
Misclassification as an independent contractor does not prevent you from receiving workers’ compensation if your actual work relationship meets the legal definition of employment under North Carolina law; courts examine factors including the employer’s control over your work, your economic dependence on the employer, and whether you worked exclusively for that employer; if you are determined to be an employee despite your employer’s classification, you are entitled to full workers’ compensation benefits for your knee injury, making it worth challenging any misclassification immediately after your injury occurs.