M54.8Other dorsalgia

M54.8 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for other dorsalgia. It belongs to category M54 (dorsalgia), 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 2 subcodes must be used instead.

Within M54, choose M54.8 (Other dorsalgia) only when documentation doesn't support a more specific option: panniculitis affecting regions of neck and back (M54.0), radiculopathy (M54.1), Cervicalgia (M54.2), sciatica (M54.3), Lumbago with sciatica (M54.4), low back pain (M54.5), pain in thoracic spine (M54.6) and unspecified (M54.9).

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: M54.81 (neuralgia) and M54.89 (dorsalgia).

Don't report M54.8 together with the conditions in its Excludes1 note: dorsalgia in thoracic region (M54.6) and low back pain (M54.5-).

It has been part of ICD-10-CM since the code set took effect on October 1, 2015 and hasn't changed since.