Opinion ID: 2159046
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Hip Injury/Functional Impairment

Text: The evidence relating to her hip condition was similarly inconsistent. Hill claims that even after she stopped working on the weight-intensive portions of the line and the welding machine, she could still not go on long walks or perform other similar activities. But medical evidence was inconclusive. Dr. Bahls found there was still normal hip motion and normal sensation in the leg and assigned no independent impairment rating for the back, leg, or hip. Dr. Sieh concluded she did not know whether the pain in Hill's right hip would result in permanent impairment. She too assigned no permanent impairment rating. Dr. Ban concluded Hill's work activities caused, contributed or materially and permanently aggravated her ... cumulative trauma disorder, but when describing Hill's functional status, he commented [w]alking and sitting are not a problem. He also noted the cumulative trauma disorder was a nonratable impairment. A reasonable person could weigh the lack of permanent impairment ratings and lack of objective measurements of injury against the lay testimony and Dr. Ban's ambiguous opinion to find there was no permanent injury/functional impairment to Hill's hip. See Iowa Code § 17A.19(10)( f )(1) (defining substantial evidence as the quantity and quality of evidence that would be deemed sufficient by a neutral, detached, and reasonable person, to establish the fact at issue when the consequences resulting from the establishment of that fact are understood to be serious and of great importance). Therefore, we find there is substantial evidence supporting the commissioner's finding.