Following a motor vehicle accident, a patient with a herniated lumbar intervertebral disk is coded with which ICD-10-CM code?

Following a motor vehicle accident, a patient with a herniated lumbar intervertebral disk is coded with which ICD-10-CM code?

• A. M54.26
• B. M51.0
• C. M51.26
• D. M53.2

Answer: (C)

When coding intervertebral disc disorders, you select a code that shows both the location and the specific disc problem. A herniated disc in the lumbar region maps to the category for other intervertebral disc disorders, with the lumbar region specified. That makes M51.26 the correct code because it directly encodes a lumbar intervertebral disc displacement/herniation. The other options don’t fit as well: M54.26 would indicate lumbar radiculopathy, which is nerve pain from the disc issue rather than the herniation itself. M51.0 would refer to a thoracic (not lumbar) disc problem. M53.2 covers back pain without specifying a disc displacement. So M51.26 best matches the diagnosis of a herniated lumbar disc.

When coding intervertebral disc disorders, you select a code that shows both the location and the specific disc problem. A herniated disc in the lumbar region maps to the category for other intervertebral disc disorders, with the lumbar region specified. That makes M51.26 the correct code because it directly encodes a lumbar intervertebral disc displacement/herniation.

The other options don’t fit as well: M54.26 would indicate lumbar radiculopathy, which is nerve pain from the disc issue rather than the herniation itself. M51.0 would refer to a thoracic (not lumbar) disc problem. M53.2 covers back pain without specifying a disc displacement. So M51.26 best matches the diagnosis of a herniated lumbar disc.