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ICD-10 Code M48.35: Traumatic spondylopathy, thoracolumbar region

M48.35 is a billable ICD-10 diagnosis code used to classify Traumatic spondylopathy, thoracolumbar region in medical records and claims. You may see this code in hospital records, discharge summaries, insurance claims, encounter documentation, referrals, or other healthcare billing and coding records. 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).

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).

šŸ“‹Clinical overview

This ICD-10 code is commonly used when documentation describes traumatic spondylopathy. The most accurate code depends on the affected spinal region.

When is it used?

  • May be used when a clinician documents traumatic spondylopathy, thoracolumbar region 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.

šŸ©ŗClinical context

When commonly used
  • Orthopedic, spine, rehabilitation, and imaging workflows where post-traumatic vertebral or spinal disease is part of the documented problem list.
  • Coding and utilization-review workflows where the record supports traumatic spondylopathy and the final code changes based on spinal region.
Common management context
  • Evaluation often includes pain and neurologic-symptom review, prior-trauma history, spine imaging context, and planning for orthopedic or spine follow-up.
  • Documentation usually becomes more specific when the chart identifies the exact spinal region involved.
  • Specialist context already linked on this page includes Orthopedic Specialist, Rheumatologist.

šŸ”Key distinctions

Important notes
  • These ICD-10 codes are reserved for traumatic spondylopathy rather than fatigue fracture of vertebra or other nontraumatic spinal disorders.
  • Spinal-region detail drives most of the code specificity inside this family.
  • Spinal-region detail matters here because upper cervical, cervical, cervicothoracic, thoracic, thoracolumbar, lumbar, lumbosacral, and sacral-coccygeal involvement are coded separately when the chart names the affected region more specifically.
  • Documentation that describes traumatic spondylopathy is coded differently from fatigue fracture of vertebra or another nontraumatic spinal disorder.
Related codes to consider
M48.30Traumatic spondylopathy, site unspecified
Related spinal-disorder ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the spinal region, traumatic versus fatigue-fracture pattern, or another vertebral context.
M48.31Traumatic spondylopathy, occipito-atlanto-axial region
Related spinal-disorder ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the spinal region, traumatic versus fatigue-fracture pattern, or another vertebral context.
M48.32Traumatic spondylopathy, cervical region
Related spinal-disorder ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the spinal region, traumatic versus fatigue-fracture pattern, or another vertebral context.
M48.33Traumatic spondylopathy, cervicothoracic region
Related spinal-disorder ICD-10 code; documentation often becomes more specific when the chart identifies the spinal region, traumatic versus fatigue-fracture pattern, or another vertebral context.

Code hierarchy

chapter
13Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99)
block
M40-M54Dorsopathies
block
M45-M49Spondylopathies
category
M48Other spondylopathies
category
M48.3Traumatic spondylopathy
currentM48.3

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

Coding guidelines

Compatibility

Legacy and official ICD code match exactly.
Legacy codes
M48.35

Common synonyms

Traumatic spondylopathy, thoracolumbar region

Frequently asked questions

Code details

CodeM48.35
SystemICD10
Display nameTraumatic spondylopathy, thoracolumbar region
ChapterDiseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99)
BlockSpondylopathies

Flags

BillableYes
Valid clinical useYes

Source

SourceICD-10
Version2026-annual
Releaseannual
Year2026

Index terms

Matched terms
Spondylopathy

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.