M51.3: Other specified intervertebral disc degeneration

One or more of your intervertebral discs are worn away.

Intervertebral discs consist of cartilage and connective tissue. Intervertebral discs connect neighboring vertebrae to one another and absorb pressure and shocks. An intervertebral disc consists of a firm ring with a soft core.

One symptom of worn discs is back pain, for example. The pain may also spread to the arms or legs.

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).