M51.1

M51.1: Thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy

Non-billable headerICD-10-CM

M51.1 is a non-billable header ICD-10-CM code for thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy. It cannot be billed on its own: choose one of the more specific child codes below.

Excludes1: never code together

These conditions cannot occur together. Billing both on the same encounter is a denial.

lumbar radiculitis NOS (M54.16)
sciatica NOS (M54.3)

Inclusion terms

Alternative wordings a physician may use in the chart for this same code.

Sciatica due to intervertebral disc disorder

Excludes2 inherited from the categories above M51.1

Not part of this code, but both may be coded when both are present.

Written on M51: Thoracic, thoracolumbar, and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders

cervical and cervicothoracic disc disorders (M50.-)
sacral and sacrococcygeal disorders (M53.3)

Other codes that can never be billed with M51.1

Their own Excludes1 notes name this code, so the conflict is not listed above.

G55Nerve root and plexus compressions in diseases classified elsewhere
M54.1Radiculopathy
M54.3Sciatica
M54.4Lumbago with sciatica
M54.6Pain in thoracic spine
S23.0Traumatic rupture of thoracic intervertebral disc
S23.0XXATraumatic rupture of thoracic intervertebral disc, initial encounter
S23.0XXDTraumatic rupture of thoracic intervertebral disc, subsequent encounter

Risk adjustment

No CMS-HCC V28 category: this code does not change a RAF score.

Code history

Unchanged in every release from FY2024 to FY2027.

Code to one of these instead M51.1

4 child codes. Green means billable.