M51.AOther lumbar and lumbosacral annulus fibrosus disc defects

M51.A is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for other lumbar and lumbosacral annulus fibrosus disc defects. It belongs to category M51 (thoracic, thoracolumbar, and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders), block M50-M54 (other dorsopathies) and chapter 13 (diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 6 subcodes must be used instead.

Within M51, choose M51.A (Other lumbar and lumbosacral annulus fibrosus disc defects) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with myelopathy (M51.0), thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy (M51.1), other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc displacement (M51.2), other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc degeneration (M51.3), Schmorl's nodes (M51.4), other thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorders (M51.8) and unspecified thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral intervertebral disc disorder (M51.9).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: M51.A0 (size), M51.A1 (region), M51.A2 (region), M51.A3 (size), M51.A4 (region) and M51.A5 (region).

It was added in FY2023, effective October 1, 2022.