ICD10BillableValid for clinical use
ICD-10 Code M19.179: Post-traumatic osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle and foot
Reviewed by HealthAssure Clinical TeamUpdated 26 May 2026
What is this code?
ICD-10 codes are diagnosis classification codes used in healthcare records, reporting, coding workflows, and billing support. This code sits within the broader ICD-10 area for Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).
šClinical overview
This ICD-10 code is commonly used when documentation describes post-traumatic osteoarthritis. The most accurate code depends on the affected joint site and whether laterality is documented.
When is it used?
- May be used when a clinician documents post-traumatic osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle and foot in a patient's medical record.
- May appear in hospital records, claims, referrals, and clinical documentation.
- This code can be used as a clinically usable diagnosis entry in standardized coding workflows.
What it does not mean
- A code alone does not explain severity, treatment plan, or outcome.
- A medical code should not be treated as a substitute for a doctor's diagnosis or advice.
š©ŗClinical context
When commonly used
- Orthopedic, rehabilitation, primary-care, and utilization-review workflows where degenerative joint disease is explicitly linked to prior trauma.
- Coding workflows where the record supports post-traumatic osteoarthritis and the final code changes based on joint site or laterality.
Common management context
- Evaluation often includes joint pain and function review, prior-injury history, imaging context, and planning for orthopedic follow-up, rehabilitation, or symptom-directed management.
- Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies the exact joint site, laterality, or another post-traumatic versus primary-degenerative joint context.
- Specialist context already linked on this page includes Orthopedic Specialist, Rheumatologist.
šKey distinctions
Important notes
- These ICD-10 codes are reserved for post-traumatic osteoarthritis rather than primary osteoarthritis or broader traumatic-arthropathy descriptions.
- Joint-site and laterality detail drive most of the code specificity inside this family.
- Joint-site detail matters here because shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle-foot, and other-site post-traumatic osteoarthritis are coded separately when the chart names the affected joint more specifically.
- Documentation that describes post-traumatic osteoarthritis is coded differently from primary osteoarthritis, traumatic arthropathy, or nontraumatic joint derangement.
Related codes to consider
M19.171Post-traumatic osteoarthritis, right ankle and foot
Related post-traumatic-joint ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the exact joint, laterality, post-traumatic osteoarthritis versus traumatic arthropathy pattern, or another joint context.
M19.172Post-traumatic osteoarthritis, left ankle and foot
Related post-traumatic-joint ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the exact joint, laterality, post-traumatic osteoarthritis versus traumatic arthropathy pattern, or another joint context.
Code hierarchy
chapter
13Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99)
block
M00-M25Arthropathies
block
M15-M19Osteoarthritis
category
M19Other and unspecified osteoarthritis
category
M19.1Post-traumatic osteoarthritis of other joints
category
M19.17Post-traumatic osteoarthritis, ankle and foot
currentM19.17
Where you may see this code
You may see this code in hospital records, discharge summaries, insurance claims, encounter documentation, referrals, or other healthcare billing and coding records.
Related specialists
Orthopedic SpecialistRheumatologist
Related codes
Sibling codes
Coverage-related procedures and services
CPT 43845high
GASTRIC RESTRICTIVE PROCEDURE WITH PARTIAL GASTRECTOMY, PYLORUS-PRESERVING DUODENOILEOSTOMY AND ILEOILEOSTOMY (50 TO 100 CM COMMON CHANNEL) TO LIMIT ABSORPTION (BILIOPANCREATIC DIVERSION WITH DUODENAL SWITCH)
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 43888high
GASTRIC RESTRICTIVE PROCEDURE, OPEN; REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF SUBCUTANEOUS PORT COMPONENT ONLY
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 43887high
GASTRIC RESTRICTIVE PROCEDURE, OPEN; REMOVAL OF SUBCUTANEOUS PORT COMPONENT ONLY
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 43886high
GASTRIC RESTRICTIVE PROCEDURE, OPEN; REVISION OF SUBCUTANEOUS PORT COMPONENT ONLY
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 43846high
GASTRIC RESTRICTIVE PROCEDURE, WITH GASTRIC BYPASS FOR MORBID OBESITY; WITH SHORT LIMB (150 CM OR LESS) ROUX-EN-Y GASTROENTEROSTOMY
Source: CMS coverage guidance
CPT 43847high
GASTRIC RESTRICTIVE PROCEDURE, WITH GASTRIC BYPASS FOR MORBID OBESITY; WITH SMALL INTESTINE RECONSTRUCTION TO LIMIT ABSORPTION
Source: CMS coverage guidance
Coding guidelines
Common synonyms
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis, unspecified ankle and footPost-traumatic osteoarthritis
Frequently asked questions
About this content
This page is prepared by HealthAssure's clinical team using official coding standards from ICD-10. AI tools assist with drafting explanations, which are then reviewed and verified by healthcare professionals for accuracy. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. Meet our team.