M84.3 vs S52
M84.3 (Stress fracture) compared with S52 (Fracture of forearm), 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. M84.3 carries an Excludes1 note covering S52: “traumatic fracture (S12.-, S22.-, S32.-, S42.-, S52.-, S62.-, S72.-, S82.-, S92.-)”
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
| M84.3Stress fracture | S52Fracture of forearm | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing status | Non-billable header Report instead: M84.30XA, M84.30XD, M84.30XG, M84.30XK, M84.30XP | Non-billable header Report instead: S52.001A, S52.001B, S52.001C, S52.001D, S52.001E |
| Classification | M00-M99 — Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue (M00-M99) | S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88) |
| Definition | Stress fracture is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (M84.3). | Fracture of forearm is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S52). |
| 7th character | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from subcategory M84.3: | The appropriate 7th character is to be added to all codes from category S52 |
| Includes | Fatigue fracture March fracture Stress fracture NOS Stress reaction | — |
| Use additional code | external cause code(s) to identify the cause of the stress fracture | — |
Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2026). Not billing advice; verify sequencing rules for the encounter. All data sources