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S83.51 ICD-10-CM Code: Sprain of anterior cruciate ligament of knee

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — see the character table on this page
Tabular directives
7 inclusion terms · 11 Excludes2 · 1 code-also instruction

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for S83.51 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Notes without a marker are published on S83.51 itself; “inherited from” names the category or block whose note applies here.

Includes

Conditions the official ICD-10-CM tabular list includes under this code.

  • avulsion of joint or ligament of knee
  • laceration of cartilage, joint or ligament of knee
  • sprain of cartilage, joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic hemarthrosis of joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic rupture of joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic subluxation of joint or ligament of knee
  • traumatic tear of joint or ligament of knee

Source: inherited from S83

Excludes2 — Not Included Here

Conditions not covered by this code, but which may be reported alongside it when both are present.

Code Also

Additional codes that may be required to fully describe the encounter.

  • any associated open wound

Source: inherited from S83

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S83"

  • A — initial encounter
  • D — subsequent encounter
  • S — sequela

How the encounter character is assigned. “Initial encounter” means the patient is receiving active treatment for the condition — it is not limited to the first visit, and a different or new provider giving active treatment still assigns it. “Subsequent encounter” covers care during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment. “Sequela” is for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of the original condition.

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.19.a (paraphrased by MedCoder).

Variant codes in this family

S83.511A, S83.511D, S83.511S, S83.512A, S83.512D, S83.512S, S83.519A, S83.519D

Character meanings are CMS's official 7th-character extensions for this family, as carried in each variant code's official description; variant codes are registry rows. The explanation of how the encounter character is assigned is MedCoder editorial, distinct from the official content above it.

Code Overview

Sprain of anterior cruciate ligament of knee is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (S83.51). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Decision Points

The directives on this code's own record, as a pre-claim checklist.

  1. A 7th character applies in this family. Confirm the documented encounter matches the character assigned. See the official 7th-character definitions and this code’s variants
  2. 1 Code Also note — a second code may apply; the guidelines leave its sequencing to the circumstances of the encounter. See the Code Also notes
  3. 11 Excludes2 entries — those conditions are not part of this code and may be reported additionally when documented. See the Excludes2 notes

Checklist rows are derived from this code's own official directives; the wording of each check is MedCoder editorial. The official notes themselves are in the sections each row links to.

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

Other codes that name S83.51 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 2 Excludes2 notes across 2 chapters: M23 — Internal derangement of knee (via S83.-), S86 — Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at lower leg level (via S83.-).

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Related Codes

Same Index main term, other category

The ICD-10-CM Index to Diseases and Injuries files this code under the main term “Sprain”; these codes share that main term but sit in a different category of the Tabular List.

S63.64 — Sprain of metacarpophalangeal joint of thumb (thumb, metacarpophalangeal), S63.65 — Sprain of metacarpophalangeal joint of other and unspecified finger(s) (finger, metacarpophalangeal), S63.68 — Other sprain of thumb (thumb, specified site NEC), S63.69 — Other sprain of other and unspecified finger(s) (finger, specified site NEC), S63.9 — Sprain of unspecified part of wrist and hand (hand), S73.10 — Unspecified sprain of hip (hip), S73.11 — Iliofemoral ligament sprain of hip (hip, iliofemoral ligament), S73.12 — Ischiocapsular (ligament) sprain of hip (hip, ischiocapsular), S73.19 — Other sprain of hip (hip, specified NEC), S76.11 — Strain of quadriceps muscle, fascia and tendon (patellar ligament), S93.40 — Sprain of unspecified ligament of ankle (ankle), S93.41 — Sprain of calcaneofibular ligament (ankle, calcaneofibular ligament), S93.42 — Sprain of deltoid ligament (ankle, deltoid ligament), S93.43 — Sprain of tibiofibular ligament (ankle, tibiofibular ligament), S93.49 — Sprain of other ligament of ankle (ankle, specified ligament NEC), S93.50 — Unspecified sprain of toe (toe), S93.51 — Sprain of interphalangeal joint of toe (toe, interphalangeal joint), S93.52 — Sprain of metatarsophalangeal joint of toe (toe, metatarsophalangeal joint), S93.60 — Unspecified sprain of foot (foot), S93.61 — Sprain of tarsal ligament of foot (foot, tarsal ligament), +43 more

Contextual Map

Every relationship of S83.51 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes2 notes

Nearest codes (40)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]

Common coding questions

Can S83.51 be billed directly?

No. S83.51 (Sprain of anterior cruciate ligament of knee) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Does S83.51 require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S83.

Sources for this page

Every coding fact on this page is read from the datasets below. Nothing is AI-generated; MedCoder-derived relationships and editorial are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025
Claim edits
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026)
Change history and date-of-service validity
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder-derived
Derived by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears

All data sources and release dates

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Sprain of anterior cruciate ligament of knee

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to S83.51 in its code family, with their registry titles.

View all codes in the S83 family