M51.17 – Intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy, lumbosacral region

Is the M51.17 billable?

Yes, the M51.17 ICD code is billable. Medicare and Medicaid services and all healthcare providers covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) use ICD-10 codes for diagnoses and inpatient procedures.

M51.17 clinical information

Around the age of 40, most people begin to develop disc degeneration, mainly because of wear and tear. When this happens, the discs won't be able to do their job as shock absorbers as well as they used to, and eventually, they will wear to the point that our bones will start rubbing against each other. That's not good because that will cause pain and give rise to intervertebral disc disorders like herniated discs, scoliosis, and even spinal stenosis.

These disorders can add to the pain and even compress or irritate nerve roots. If nerve roots are affected, this can cause radiculopathy, a radiating pain that can spread to the legs.

In the context of this ICD code, the disc disorder and the radiculopathy are in the lumbosacral region of the back.

If a patient mentions any of the following symptoms, then there is a chance that they might have an intervertebral disc disorder with radiculopathy:

• Sharp pain in the lumbosacral region
• If they feel pain whenever they try to lift objects, especially heavy ones
• If they have a hard time moving and twisting their back, plus feel pain while moving
• Radiating pain in the lumbosacral region that reaches the legs
• Weakness
• Tingling

To find out, you can perform physical examination techniques that gauge the lower back and imaging tests.

These problems are normally treated using pain medication, anti-inflammation medication, physical therapy, the use of back braces, and even acupuncture. For severe cases, surgery might be the best bet.

M51.17 synonyms include

• Intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy
• Lumbosacral disc disorder with radiculopathy
• Lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorder with radiculopathy
• Radiculopathy of lumbosacral spine due to disc disorders

Other ICD-10 codes used for intervertebral disc disorders

• M51.14: Intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy, thoracic region
• M51.15: Intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy, thoracolumbar region
• M51.16: Intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy, lumbar region
• M51.2: Other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc displacement
• M51.24: Other intervertebral disc displacement, thoracic region
• M51.25: Other intervertebral disc displacement, thoracolumbar region
• M51.26: Other intervertebral disc displacement, lumbar region
• M51.27: Other intervertebral disc displacement, lumbosacral region
• M51.3: Other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc degeneration
• M51.34: Other intervertebral disc degeneration, thoracic region
• M51.35: Other intervertebral disc degeneration, thoracolumbar region
• M51.36: Other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region
• M51.37: Other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbosacral region