M54 — Dorsalgia
Is M54 billable?
No — M54 is a non-billable header code. M54 groups more specific codes and cannot be submitted on a claim. A valid ICD-10-CM code must be reported at the highest level of specificity available in its branch. Select one of the 33 billable codes beneath M54.
Billable codes under this header
- M54.2Cervicalgia
- M54.6Pain in thoracic spine
- M54.9Dorsalgia, unspecified
- M54.00Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, site unspecified
- M54.01Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, occipito-atlanto-axial region
- M54.02Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, cervical region
- M54.03Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, cervicothoracic region
- M54.04Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, thoracic region
- M54.05Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, thoracolumbar region
- M54.06Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, lumbar region
- M54.07Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, lumbosacral region
- M54.08Panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back, sacral and sacrococcygeal region
- M54.09Panniculitis affecting regions, neck and back, multiple sites in spine
- M54.10Radiculopathy, site unspecified
- M54.11Radiculopathy, occipito-atlanto-axial region
- M54.12Radiculopathy, cervical region
- M54.13Radiculopathy, cervicothoracic region
- M54.14Radiculopathy, thoracic region
- M54.15Radiculopathy, thoracolumbar region
- M54.16Radiculopathy, lumbar region
- M54.17Radiculopathy, lumbosacral region
- M54.18Radiculopathy, sacral and sacrococcygeal region
- M54.30Sciatica, unspecified side
- M54.31Sciatica, right side
- M54.32Sciatica, left side
- M54.40Lumbago with sciatica, unspecified side
- M54.41Lumbago with sciatica, right side
- M54.42Lumbago with sciatica, left side
- M54.50Low back pain, unspecified
- M54.51Vertebrogenic low back pain
- M54.59Other low back pain
- M54.81Occipital neuralgia
- M54.89Other dorsalgia
M54 at a glance
| Code | M54 |
|---|---|
| Description | Dorsalgia |
| Billable | No — header code |
| Code set | ICD-10-CM FY2027 |
| Valid for encounters | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 |
Excludes1 — never code together
The conditions below can never be reported together with M54 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- psychogenic dorsalgia (F45.41)
Excludes1 — never code together — inherited from M50-M54
The conditions below can never be reported together with M54 on the same claim. An Excludes1 note means the two conditions cannot occur in the same patient, so reporting both is a coding error.
- current injury - see injury of spine by body region
- discitis NOS (M46.4-)
Excludes2 — not included here — inherited from Chapter 13
The conditions below are not part of M54, but a patient may have both at the same time. When documentation supports it, M54 and the excluded code may both be reported.
- arthropathic psoriasis (L40.5-)
- certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
- certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- compartment syndrome (traumatic) (T79.A-)
- complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O00-O9A)
- congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99)
- endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E88)
- injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (S00-T88)
- neoplasms (C00-D49)
- symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R94)
What codes fall under M54? (9)
How long has M54 existed?
M54 has been in ICD-10-CM since at least FY2016, the earliest fiscal year on record here.
Derived from the official order files for FY2016–FY2026. FY2017 and FY2020 publish no order file, so those years are not covered.
Which codes are confused with M54?
ICD-10-CM declares these codes mutually exclusive with M54 — exactly one of each pair can be correct for a given encounter.