Skip to main content

S13.9 vs S16.1XXA

S13.9 (Sprain of joints and ligaments of unspecified parts of neck) compared with S16.1XXA (Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level, initial encounter), from the official CMS tabular data.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Summary

These codes can be reported together when both conditions are documented, because S13.9 lists S16.1XXA under Excludes2, which marks them as distinct conditions.

Official rule
What is different?

The conditions named and billing status.S13.9 is “Sprain of joints and ligaments of unspecified parts of neck”; S16.1XXA is “Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level, initial encounter”. S13.9 is a non-billable header; S16.1XXA is billable.

Registry fact

Can these codes be reported together?

Yes, when both are documented.S13.9 lists S16.1XXA under Excludes2: “strain of muscle or tendon at neck level (S16.1)”. Excludes2 marks distinct conditions that may both be reported when both are documented.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is there an Excludes2 relationship?

Yes.S13.9’s tabular entry: “strain of muscle or tendon at neck level (S16.1)”. The note covers S16.1XXA.

Official ruleGuide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2

Is one a parent or header code?

One is a header.S13.9 is a non-billable header, but S16.1XXA is not one of its subdivisions.

Registry fact

Nothing found in 3 other checks; 1 check does not apply
Is there an Excludes1 relationship?

None.Neither entry carries an Excludes1 note that names the other code.

Official rule

Is one more specific?

Not comparable.The codes sit in different categories; specificity is only comparable within one category.

Are there sequencing instructions?

None.Neither entry carries a Code First or Use Additional Code note that names the other.

Official rule

Are there other coding relationships?

None found.No laterality, encounter-phase, Table of Neoplasms, Table of Drugs and Chemicals, or history-versus-active-disease relationship links these codes.

MedCoder-derived

Official rule: a tabular instructional note or a section of the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, quoted as published. Registry fact: the codes’ own published attributes (titles, billable status, position in the hierarchy, code set). MedCoder-derived: a reading MedCoder computes from those facts; it is not itself a rule. How to read the labels

Can these codes be reported together?

Informational

Excludes2 relationship

S13.9
Sprain of joints and ligaments of unspecified parts of neck
↔
S16.1XXA
Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level, initial encounter

What we found

Yes, when both are documented.S13.9 carries an Excludes2 note covering S16.1XXA: “strain of muscle or tendon at neck level (S16.1)”

Excludes2 marks distinct conditions — both may be reported when both are documented.

What to review

Report both only when the documentation supports both conditions; otherwise report the one documented.

Guide: Excludes1 vs Excludes2Check these on a claim

Why it matters

An Excludes2 note means the excluded condition is not part of the code above it, but a patient can have both. Report both when both are documented.

Source / rule

CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes

Official guidance behind these answers

  • Section I.A.12.b — Excludes2 · applies to: Excludes2

    A type 2 Excludes note represents “Not included here.” An excludes2 note indicates that the condition excluded is not part of the condition represented by the code, but a patient may have both conditions at the same time. When an Excludes2 note appears under a code, it is acceptable to use both the code and the excluded code together, when appropriate.

    ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines FY2027

Quoted from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting in effect for the release shown. The tabular notes above are the code-level instruction; these sections are the convention that says how such a note is applied. Source document (CMS PDF) · Release and checksum

Side by side

Similar descriptions do not make codes interchangeable. The documentation and the official instructions decide which code applies.

Official descriptionDiffers
S13.9

Sprain of joints and ligaments of unspecified parts of neck

S16.1XXA

Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level, initial encounter

StatusDiffers
S13.9
Non-billable header

A header is not reported on a claim; a code beneath it is.

Report instead: S13.9XXA, S13.9XXD, S13.9XXS

S16.1XXA
Billable
Excludes2Differs
Only at S13.9
  • strain of muscle or tendon at neck level (S16.1)
Only at S16.1XXA
  • sprain of joint or ligament at neck level (S13.9)
Shared by both codes (7 notes)
  • burns and corrosions (T20-T32)
  • effects of foreign body in esophagus (T18.1)
  • effects of foreign body in larynx (T17.3)
  • effects of foreign body in pharynx (T17.2)
  • effects of foreign body in trachea (T17.4)
  • frostbite (T33-T34)
  • insect bite or sting, venomous (T63.4)
Code alsoDiffers
S13.9
  • any associated open wound
S16.1XXA
  • any associated open wound (S11.-)
CategoryDiffers
S13.9

S13 Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments at neck level

S16.1XXA

S16 Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level

ChapterSame for both

S00-T88 — Injury, Poisoning and Certain Other Consequences of External Causes (S00-T88)

IncludesDiffers
Only at S13.9
  • avulsion of joint or ligament at neck level
  • laceration of cartilage, joint or ligament at neck level
  • sprain of cartilage, joint or ligament at neck level
  • traumatic hemarthrosis of joint or ligament at neck level
  • traumatic rupture of joint or ligament at neck level
  • traumatic subluxation of joint or ligament at neck level
  • traumatic tear of joint or ligament at neck level
Only at S16.1XXA

No note of its own beyond the shared notes

Shared by both codes (3 notes)
  • injuries of nape
  • injuries of supraclavicular region
  • injuries of throat
7th characterDiffers
S13.9
  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S13
S16.1XXA
  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S16

No Excludes1, Code first and Use additional code note at either code.

Notes are the code’s own tabular entry, quoted as published. A note that names the other code is the one the verdict above rests on. In a row that differs, each code’s own notes are listed under it, and the notes every code shares are listed once beneath them.

Edit this comparisonCheck a whole claim

Derived from the official CMS ICD-10-CM tabular data (FY2027). A coding-rule comparison, not billing advice: payer-specific edits and medical-necessity policy are outside its scope. All data sources