Back Pain (Lumbar and Low Back):
    Back Disorders:
        Ankylosing spondylitis and other inflammatory spondylopathies:  720*
        Spondylosis and allied disorders:  721.2-721.9
        Other and unspecified disorders of back:  724
    Disk Disorders:
        Displacement of intervetebral disc:  722.10, 722.11
        Schmorl's nodes:  722.30-722.39
        Degeneration of intervetebral disc:  722.51, 722.52, 722.60
        Intervertebral disc disorder with myelopathy:  722.72, 722.73
        Postlaminectomy syndrome:  722.80, 722.82, 722.83
        Other and unspecified disc disorder:  722.90, 722.92, 722.93
    Back Injury:
        Closed fracture of vertebra without mention of spinal cord injury:  805.20-805.80
        Closed fracture of vertebra with spinal cord injury:  806.20-806.90
        Closed dislocation, vertebra:  839.20-839.49
        Sprains and strains of sacroiliac region:  846
        Other sprains and strains of back:  847.10-749.90

Cervical (Neck) Pain:
    Neck Disorders:
        Cervical spondylosis:  721.00, 721.11
        Disorders of cervical region:  723.00-723.90
    Disk Disorders:
        Displacement of cervical intervertebral disc:  722.00
        Degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc:  722.40
        Intervertebral disc disorder, with myelopathy:  722.71
        Postlaminectomy syndrome of cervical region:  722.81
        Other and unspecified disc disorders of cervical region:  722.91
    Neck Injury:
        Closed fracture of cervical vertebra without mention of spinal cord injury:  805
        Closed fracture of cervical vertebra with spinal cord injury:  806
        Closed dislocation, cervical vertebra:  839
        Neck sprain:  847.00

Spine Procedures (ICD-9-CM Procedures Code)
        Cervical fusion:  81.02, 81.03
        Thoracic fusion:  81.04, 81.05
        Lumbar fusion:  81.06-81.08
        Other fusion:  81.00, 81.01
        Fusion/refusion multiple vertebrae:  81.62-81.64
        Spine refusion:  81.30-81.39
        Spinal decompression:  03.09
        Spinal diskectomy:  80.50, 80.51

ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM CODE CONVERSION

Direct conversions between the ICD-9-CM codes used in this analysis to ICD-10-CM codes is difficult due to the greatly expanded diagnosis codes in ICD-10-CM. For example, converting the six codes included in the Lumbar/Low Back Back Disorders group returns only six general or unspecified codes related to the spondylopathies whereas, in reality, there are five major classifications (M45, M46, M47, M48, M49) each of which is broken down into specific conditions that are further broken down by site. For example, using only the M45 and M46 codes (shown below) there are 80 new codes.

     M45 Ankylosing spondylitis
        M45.0 Ankylosing spondylitis of multiple sites in spine
        M45.1 Ankylosing spondylitis of occipito-atlanto-axial region
        M45.2 Ankylosing spondylitis of cervical region
        M45.3 Ankylosing spondylitis of cervicothoracic region
        M45.4 Ankylosing spondylitis of thoracic region
        M45.5 Ankylosing spondylitis of thoracolumbar region
        M45.6 Ankylosing spondylitis lumbar region
        M45.7 Ankylosing spondylitis of lumbosacral region
        M45.8 Ankylosing spondylitis sacral and sacrococcygeal region
        M45.9 Ankylosing spondylitis of unspecified sites in spine

    M46 Other inflammatory spondylopathies
        M46.0 Spinal enthesopathy
            M46.00 …… site unspecified
            M46.01 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.02 …… cervical region
            M46.03 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.04 …… thoracic region
            M46.05 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.06 …… lumbar region
            M46.07 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.08 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
            M46.09 …… multiple sites in spine
        M46.1 Sacroiliitis, not elsewhere classified
        M46.2 Osteomyelitis of vertebra
            M46.20 …… site unspecified
            M46.21 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.22 …… cervical region
            M46.23 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.24 …… thoracic region
            M46.25 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.26 …… lumbar region
            M46.27 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.28 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
        M46.3 Infection of intervertebral disc (pyogenic)
            M46.30 …… site unspecified
            M46.31 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.32 …… cervical region
            M46.33 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.34 …… thoracic region
            M46.35 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.36 …… lumbar region
            M46.37 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.38 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
            M46.39 …… multiple sites in spine
        M46.4 Discitis, unspecified
            M46.40 …… site unspecified
            M46.41 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.42 …… cervical region
            M46.43 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.44 …… thoracic region
            M46.45 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.46 …… lumbar region
            M46.47 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.48 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
            M46.49 …… multiple sites in spine
        M46.5 Other infective spondylopathies
            M46.50 …… site unspecified
            M46.51 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.52 …… cervical region
            M46.53 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.54 …… thoracic region
            M46.55 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.56 …… lumbar region
            M46.57 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.58 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
            M46.59 …… multiple sites in spine
        M46.8 Other specified inflammatory spondylopathies
            M46.80 …… site unspecified
            M46.81 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.82 …… cervical region
            M46.83 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.84 …… thoracic region
            M46.85 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.86 …… lumbar region
            M46.87 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.88 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
            M46.89 …… multiple sites in spine
        M46.9 Unspecified inflammatory spondylopathy
            M46.90 …… site unspecified
            M46.91 …… occipito-atlanto-axial region
            M46.92 …… cervical region
            M46.93 …… cervicothoracic region
            M46.94 …… thoracic region
            M46.95 …… thoracolumbar region
            M46.96 …… lumbar region
            M46.97 …… lumbosacral region
            M46.98 …… sacral and sacrococcygeal region
            M46.99 …… multiple sites in spine

and so on. Future analysis for BMUS will require identification of new categories for analysis of spine low back and neck diagnoses.

Conversion of the spine procedure codes was made and can be viewed by clicking HERE. Again, the number of codes is greatly expanded, with more than 650 new codes representing the 25 spine procedure codes analyzed in this Fourth Edition of The Burden Of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States.