S53Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of elbow

S53 is the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of elbow. It belongs to block S50-S59 (injuries to the elbow and forearm) and chapter 19 (injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes). It is a header code, so it can't be reported by itself; one of its 5 subcodes must be used instead.

To report this condition, pick the subcode that matches the documentation: S53.0 (head), S53.1 (joint), S53.2 (ligament), S53.3 (ligament) and S53.4 (elbow).

The conditions in its Excludes2 note aren't part of S53, but may be coded alongside it if the patient has both: strain of muscle, fascia and tendon at forearm level (S56.-).

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