Shoulder ICD-10 codes an orthopedic practice actually uses
Billable FY2026 codes for the shoulder from the official ICD-10-CM release, organized the way calls come in — arthritis, soft tissue, and injuries — with the laterality and 7th-character rules that keep claims clean.
Shoulder diagnosis codes, from the official FY2026 files
Shoulder coding runs through two big families: M75 for the degenerative and soft-tissue diagnoses (rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, impingement, bursitis) and S43 for the traumatic sprains and dislocations. Traumatic rotator cuff tears are the exception — they live in S46.0-, not M75.
Every code below is billable in FY2026. Descriptions are reproduced verbatim from the official ICD-10-CM release (NCHS/CMS — public domain). 93 codes shown on this page.
Rotator cuff, adhesive capsulitis, impingement and bursitis (M75)
| Code | Official FY2026 description |
|---|---|
| M75.00 | Adhesive capsulitis of unspecified shoulder |
| M75.01 | Adhesive capsulitis of right shoulder |
| M75.02 | Adhesive capsulitis of left shoulder |
| M75.100 | Unspecified rotator cuff tear or rupture of unspecified shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.101 | Unspecified rotator cuff tear or rupture of right shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.102 | Unspecified rotator cuff tear or rupture of left shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.110 | Incomplete rotator cuff tear or rupture of unspecified shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.111 | Incomplete rotator cuff tear or rupture of right shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.112 | Incomplete rotator cuff tear or rupture of left shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.120 | Complete rotator cuff tear or rupture of unspecified shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.121 | Complete rotator cuff tear or rupture of right shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.122 | Complete rotator cuff tear or rupture of left shoulder, not specified as traumatic |
| M75.20 | Bicipital tendinitis, unspecified shoulder |
| M75.21 | Bicipital tendinitis, right shoulder |
| M75.22 | Bicipital tendinitis, left shoulder |
| M75.30 | Calcific tendinitis of unspecified shoulder |
| M75.31 | Calcific tendinitis of right shoulder |
| M75.32 | Calcific tendinitis of left shoulder |
| M75.40 | Impingement syndrome of unspecified shoulder |
| M75.41 | Impingement syndrome of right shoulder |
| M75.42 | Impingement syndrome of left shoulder |
| M75.50 | Bursitis of unspecified shoulder |
| M75.51 | Bursitis of right shoulder |
| M75.52 | Bursitis of left shoulder |
| M75.80 | Other shoulder lesions, unspecified shoulder |
| M75.81 | Other shoulder lesions, right shoulder |
| M75.82 | Other shoulder lesions, left shoulder |
| M75.90 | Shoulder lesion, unspecified, unspecified shoulder |
| M75.91 | Shoulder lesion, unspecified, right shoulder |
| M75.92 | Shoulder lesion, unspecified, left shoulder |
Shoulder pain (M25.51-)
| Code | Official FY2026 description |
|---|---|
| M25.511 | Pain in right shoulder |
| M25.512 | Pain in left shoulder |
| M25.519 | Pain in unspecified shoulder |
Dislocations and sprains — initial encounter (S43)
| Code | Official FY2026 description |
|---|---|
| S43.001A | Unspecified subluxation of right shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.002A | Unspecified subluxation of left shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.003A | Unspecified subluxation of unspecified shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.004A | Unspecified dislocation of right shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.005A | Unspecified dislocation of left shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.006A | Unspecified dislocation of unspecified shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.011A | Anterior subluxation of right humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.012A | Anterior subluxation of left humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.013A | Anterior subluxation of unspecified humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.014A | Anterior dislocation of right humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.015A | Anterior dislocation of left humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.016A | Anterior dislocation of unspecified humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.021A | Posterior subluxation of right humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.022A | Posterior subluxation of left humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.023A | Posterior subluxation of unspecified humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.024A | Posterior dislocation of right humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.025A | Posterior dislocation of left humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.026A | Posterior dislocation of unspecified humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.031A | Inferior subluxation of right humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.032A | Inferior subluxation of left humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.033A | Inferior subluxation of unspecified humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.034A | Inferior dislocation of right humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.035A | Inferior dislocation of left humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.036A | Inferior dislocation of unspecified humerus, initial encounter |
| S43.081A | Other subluxation of right shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.082A | Other subluxation of left shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.083A | Other subluxation of unspecified shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.084A | Other dislocation of right shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.085A | Other dislocation of left shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.086A | Other dislocation of unspecified shoulder joint, initial encounter |
| S43.101A | Unspecified dislocation of right acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.102A | Unspecified dislocation of left acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.109A | Unspecified dislocation of unspecified acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.111A | Subluxation of right acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.112A | Subluxation of left acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.119A | Subluxation of unspecified acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.121A | Dislocation of right acromioclavicular joint, 100%-200% displacement, initial encounter |
| S43.122A | Dislocation of left acromioclavicular joint, 100%-200% displacement, initial encounter |
| S43.129A | Dislocation of unspecified acromioclavicular joint, 100%-200% displacement, initial encounter |
| S43.131A | Dislocation of right acromioclavicular joint, greater than 200% displacement, initial encounter |
| S43.132A | Dislocation of left acromioclavicular joint, greater than 200% displacement, initial encounter |
| S43.139A | Dislocation of unspecified acromioclavicular joint, greater than 200% displacement, initial encounter |
| S43.141A | Inferior dislocation of right acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.142A | Inferior dislocation of left acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.149A | Inferior dislocation of unspecified acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.151A | Posterior dislocation of right acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.152A | Posterior dislocation of left acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.159A | Posterior dislocation of unspecified acromioclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.201A | Unspecified subluxation of right sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.202A | Unspecified subluxation of left sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.203A | Unspecified subluxation of unspecified sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.204A | Unspecified dislocation of right sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.205A | Unspecified dislocation of left sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.206A | Unspecified dislocation of unspecified sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.211A | Anterior subluxation of right sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.212A | Anterior subluxation of left sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.213A | Anterior subluxation of unspecified sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.214A | Anterior dislocation of right sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.215A | Anterior dislocation of left sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
| S43.216A | Anterior dislocation of unspecified sternoclavicular joint, initial encounter |
+51 more billable codes in this family — see the official CMS ICD-10-CM files for the complete set.
Reading these codes correctly
- Laterality is inside the code. Many families end in 1 (right), 2 (left), and sometimes 3 (bilateral) or 9 (unspecified). Payers increasingly deny “unspecified side” when a sided code exists — capture right vs. left on the very first phone call.
- Injury (S) codes need a 7th character. The tables below show initial encounter (A) codes. The same code exists with D (subsequent encounter) for routine follow-up care and S (sequela) for late effects. A follow-up visit billed with an “A” code is a mismatch.
- Codes update every October 1. These tables are from the official FY2026 ICD-10-CM release (public domain, NCHS/CMS). Verify against the current year's files before billing.
Where the phone call fits
Every code on this page starts as a sentence a patient says on the phone. ClinicFlow's scheduling agent captures the complaint, the side, and the duration on the first call and writes it into the EMR — so intake, scheduling, and coding tell the same story. See how it works for sports medicine practices, or hear it live: (281) 502-8583.
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Educational reference, not coding advice. Descriptions are reproduced from the official FY2026 ICD-10-CM code files published by NCHS/CMS (US government work, public domain).
Frequently asked questions
What is the ICD-10 code for a rotator cuff tear?
Non-traumatic tears use the M75.1- family — for example M75.101 (unspecified rotator cuff tear or rupture of right shoulder, not specified as traumatic), with complete and incomplete variants. Tears from an acute injury are coded in S46.0- instead.
What is the code for frozen shoulder?
Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder is M75.01 for the right side and M75.02 for the left.
How are shoulder dislocations coded?
The S43.0- family covers subluxations and dislocations of the shoulder joint, branching by direction (anterior, posterior, inferior) and side, with the injury 7th character: A initial, D subsequent, S sequela.
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