2025 ICD-10-CM code M51.0
(Valid) Effective Date: N/A Dorsopathies - Other dorsopathies (M50-M54) Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99) Feed
Thoracic, thoracolumbar, and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with myelopathy.
Medical necessity is established by the presence of myelopathy, evidenced by clinical findings and imaging studies demonstrating spinal cord compression due to intervertebral disc disorders.The documentation must support the need for treatment, whether it be conservative management or surgical intervention, to address the neurological deficits and improve the patient's functional status.
Providers diagnose this condition based on patient history, physical examination (including neurological exam), imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRI, myelography, discography), and nerve conduction studies/electromyography. Treatment can range from pain management and physical therapy to surgery, depending on the severity of symptoms.
In simple words: This code refers to problems with the discs in your upper, mid, and lower back that are affecting your spinal cord.This can happen from injury or aging. It can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and trouble moving.
This code represents disorders of the spinal cord resulting from displacement or degeneration of an intervertebral disc, loss of disc height, or annular fissure or tear of a disc in the thoracic, thoracolumbar, or lumbosacral regions of the spine.These disorders are often caused by specific injury or generalized wear and tear with aging and lead to myelopathy (disease of the spinal cord).
Example 1: A 50-year-old patient presents with progressive weakness and numbness in both legs, along with difficulty walking.MRI reveals compression of the spinal cord in the thoracic region due to a herniated disc. The patient is diagnosed with thoracic intervertebral disc disorder with myelopathy (M51.0)., A 65-year-old patient with a history of degenerative disc disease experiences worsening back pain radiating to the legs, accompanied by bowel and bladder incontinence. Imaging shows spinal cord compression in the lumbar region due to disc degeneration.The diagnosis is lumbar intervertebral disc disorder with myelopathy (M51.0)., A 30-year-old patient involved in a car accident sustains a spinal fracture in the thoracolumbar region, resulting in spinal cord compression.They exhibit neurological deficits, including weakness and sensory loss below the level of the injury.This is coded as a thoracolumbar intervertebral disc disorder with myelopathy (M51.0), along with the appropriate trauma codes.
Documentation should include details of the patient's symptoms (pain, numbness, weakness, gait disturbances, bowel/bladder dysfunction), neurological examination findings, imaging results confirming spinal cord compression, and any relevant history of trauma or degenerative disc disease.If an external cause (like trauma) is involved, an external cause code should be used in addition to M51.0.
- Specialties:Neurology, Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain Management
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, On Campus-Outpatient Hospital, Off Campus-Outpatient Hospital, Physician's Office,Ambulatory Surgical Center