M47.96: Spondylosis, unspecified Lumbar region

You have changes in your spine.

The spine consists of several sections. The cervical spine begins below the head. The cervical spine is very mobile. Below that is the thoracic spine. The ribs are attached to the thoracic spine. Below the thoracic spine is the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine is also very mobile and it bears a large part of the body’s weight. After the lumbar spine, the sacrum and coccyx join.

Your spine is changed at your lumbar spine.

The spine is made up of the individual vertebrae. Between every 2 vertebrae there is a vertebral disc. Most vertebrae consist of a vertebral body and a vertebral arch. The vertebral body bears the weight of the body. The vertebral arches lie on top of one another to form the spinal canal. The spinal cord lies in the vertebral canal. The individual vertebrae are connected to each other by small joints. Intervertebral discs consist of cartilage and connective tissue. Intervertebral discs connect neighboring vertebrae to one another and absorb pressure and shocks.

The vertebral discs, the vertebrae and the small joints can be damaged by aging and long-term strain, for example. This can cause bony projections to form, for example. The inside of the bone can also change.

The changes can make the spine painful or make it less mobile than usual.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).