Sciatica and Radiculopathy ICD-10-CM codes

Sciatica without back pain is M54.3- with a 5th character for side: M54.31 right, M54.32 left, M54.30 unspecified side. When low back pain is documented together with sciatica, use the combination M54.4- (M54.41 right, M54.42 left) rather than two codes. Radiculopathy documented by region rather than as sciatica goes to M54.1-: M54.16 lumbar, M54.17 lumbosacral, M54.12 cervical, M54.14 thoracic, and M54.10 when the region is not stated.

The most common error is pairing a symptom code with a disc code. M54.1-, M54.3- and M54.4- all carry Excludes1 notes for radiculopathy or sciatica due to intervertebral disc disorder. When the provider documents a herniated or displaced disc as the cause, assign only the combination code: M51.16 (lumbar disc disorder with radiculopathy), M51.17 (lumbosacral), or M50.1- for the cervical spine, for example M50.122 for a C5-C6 disc with radiculopathy. Radiculopathy from spondylosis is likewise a single code in M47.2- (M47.26 lumbar, M47.22 cervical).

Neurogenic claudication from lumbar stenosis is captured by M48.062 and should not be coded as sciatica. Piriformis syndrome indexes to G57.0- (sciatic nerve lesion), a chapter 6 code, not to M54.3-. Sciatica during pregnancy is coded with the chapter 15 back pain code first, then M54.3-.