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Compare/M51.362 vs M54.4

M51.362 vs M54.4

M51.362 (Other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region with discogenic back pain and lower extremity pain) compared with M54.4 (Lumbago with sciatica), from the official CMS tabular data. Do not report these codes together: the official tabular list marks them Excludes1.

Can these codes be reported together?

No — do not report together. M54.4 carries an Excludes1 note covering M51.362: “intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region with discogenic back pain and lower extremity pain (M51.362)”

Sole exception: when the two conditions are documented as unrelated to each other (ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, Section I.A.12.a).

Side by side

M51.362Other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region with discogenic back pain and lower extremity painM54.4Lumbago with sciatica
Billing statusBillableNon-billable header

Report instead: M54.40, M54.41, M54.42

ClassificationM00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99)
DefinitionOther intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region with discogenic back pain and lower extremity pain is a billable ICD-10-CM diagnosis code (M51.362).Lumbago with sciatica is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M54.4).
Includes
Other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region with discogenic back pain and leg pain
Other intervertebral disc degeneration, lumbar region with axial back pain and referred sclerotomal pain

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources