---
title: "ICD-10-CM M54.81: Occipital neuralgia | BillingBrief"
description: "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…"
canonical: "https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.81/"
language: "en"
---

# M54.81 Occipital neuralgia

ICD-10-CM · [CMS code reference](#source)

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](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/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

-   [`M54.41` Lumbago with sciatica, right side ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.41/)
-   [`M54.42` Lumbago with sciatica, left side ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.42/)
-   [`M54.50` Low back pain, unspecified ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.50/)
-   [`M54.51` Vertebrogenic low back pain ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.51/)
-   [`M54.59` Other low back pain ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.59/)
-   [`M54.6` Pain in thoracic spine ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.6/)
-   [`M54.89` Other dorsalgia ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.89/)
-   [`M54.9` Dorsalgia, unspecified ICD-10-CM](https://billingbrief.com/icd10/m54.9/)

## 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.

## From the source

Official description from [CMS](https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/icd-10-codes).
ICD-10-CM FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026).

Code set

ICD-10-CM

Category

M54 Dorsalgia

Chapter

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue

Billable

Yes

Educational reference only. Not medical, legal, or billing advice. Always check the current official code set and payer policy before you bill. [About BillingBrief and our sources](https://billingbrief.com/about/).