M54.81 Occipital neuralgia
ICD-10-CM · CMS code reference
M54.81 is occipital neuralgia, nerve pain at the back of the head, grouped with other back pain codes. Back pain in the thoracic region goes to M54.6 and low back pain to M54.5- instead.
What to know
- The Excludes1 note for this group sends pain in the thoracic region to M54.6 and low back pain to the M54.5- codes, so use those instead.
Coding notes
From the ICD-10-CM FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026) tabular list. Notes on a parent code or category apply here too.
Excludes1
Not coded together with this code. The exception is when the two conditions are unrelated to each other.
- dorsalgia in thoracic region (M54.6)
- low back pain (M54.5-)
- psychogenic dorsalgia (F45.41)
- current injury - see injury of spine by body region
- discitis NOS (M46.4-)
Related codes
M54.41Lumbago with sciatica, right side ICD-10-CMM54.42Lumbago with sciatica, left side ICD-10-CMM54.50Low back pain, unspecified ICD-10-CMM54.51Vertebrogenic low back pain ICD-10-CMM54.59Other low back pain ICD-10-CMM54.6Pain in thoracic spine ICD-10-CMM54.89Other dorsalgia ICD-10-CMM54.9Dorsalgia, unspecified ICD-10-CM
Common questions
Is M54.81 a billable code?
Yes. M54.81 is a billable ICD-10-CM code in the ICD-10-CM FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026) code set.