ICD-10-CM · Spine

M41.07

Idiopathic scoliosis of the lumbosacral region with onset confirmed before age 3, absent any congenital bony abnormality or secondary cause.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 5 sources ↓

Status: Billable
Chapter: 13
Related CPT: 10
Region: Spine

Drawn from CDCICD10DataTheamericanchiropractorClear-instituteNIH

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M41.07.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 5 cited references ↓

Record the patient's age at initial diagnosis explicitly — 'first identified at age [X] months/years' — to justify the 'infantile' designation and defend the M41.0x subcategory against auditor challenge.
Name the spinal region precisely: 'lumbosacral region' must appear in the note to support M41.07 over M41.06 (lumbar) or M41.05 (thoracolumbar).
Document the Cobb angle measurement and the vertebral levels defining the curve endpoints — this supports medical necessity for imaging, bracing, and surgical referrals.
Confirm absence of congenital bony anomaly (hemivertebra, failure of segmentation) in the assessment or imaging interpretation; this is the key differentiator from Q76.3.
If the patient has had prior spinal fusion, add Z98.1 (arthrodesis status) as a secondary code per ICD-10-CM guidance.

Related CPT procedures

Procedure codes commonly billed with M41.07. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.

Source · CMS LCDs · AAOS specialty guidance · claims-pattern analysis

72100 $40.42

Radiologic examination of the lumbosacral spine capturing two or three views, used to evaluate the lumbar vertebrae and sacrum for injury, degeneration, or structural abnormality.

72110 $53.44

Radiologic examination of the lumbar spine (lumbosacral) with a minimum of four views, including oblique and/or bending views.

72114 $61.79

Radiologic examination of the lumbosacral spine, complete series with bending (flexion/extension) views — minimum of 6 views total.

72120 $42.09

Radiologic examination of the lumbosacral spine using bending views only, minimum of four views, to assess spinal flexibility and alignment.

20610 $68.81

Aspiration and/or injection of a major joint or bursa (shoulder, hip, knee, or subacromial bursa) performed without ultrasound guidance.

22800 $1,312.99

Posterior spinal arthrodesis for deformity correction spanning up to 6 vertebral segments, with or without application of a body cast.

22802 $1,936.25

Posterior spinal arthrodesis for deformity correction spanning 7 to 12 vertebral segments, with or without body cast application.

22804 $2,222.50

Posterior spinal arthrodesis for deformity correction spanning 13 or more vertebral segments, performed with or without application of a body cast.

22590 $1,559.15

Posterior arthrodesis of the craniocervical junction, spanning from the occiput through C2, performed to eliminate pathologic motion at the skull-cervical interface.

29000 $464.94

Application of a halo-type body cast — a rigid vest connected by bars to a halo ring fixed to the skull, used to immobilize the head and cervical spine.

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M41.07 and adjacent codes.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in CDC ICD-10-CM tabular guidance, AAOS coding references, and cited references ↓

Using M41.07 for a patient first diagnosed at age 5 or older — juvenile onset (ages 3–9) belongs under M41.11x, and adolescent onset (ages 10–17) under M41.12x; the age-at-diagnosis rule is strict.
Defaulting to M41.07 when the curve apex is clearly lumbar rather than at the lumbosacral junction — M41.06 (lumbar region) is the correct code in that scenario.
Coding M41.07 when congenital bony malformation is present — that presentation maps to Q76.3, which is an Excludes1 condition and cannot be coded alongside M41.07.
Omitting the 7th character entirely and billing the non-billable parent M41.0 — M41.0 is not a valid billing code; the region-specific child code (M41.07) is required.
Conflating 'infantile idiopathic' with 'congenital' — idiopathic infantile scoliosis has no identified structural or genetic cause and is classified in M41, not the Q-code range.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 5 cited references ↓

M41.07 applies exclusively to infantile idiopathic scoliosis — onset from birth through 3 years of age — localized to the lumbosacral spinal region. 'Infantile' is defined by age at diagnosis, not age at the current encounter. A 25-year-old patient first diagnosed at age 2 still carries M41.07 if the lumbosacral region was documented as the primary curve at that time.

The lumbosacral region designation (seventh character 7 in the M41.0x subgroup) refers to the junction of the lumbar spine and sacrum. If the curve spans both thoracic and lumbar segments, evaluate whether M41.05 (thoracolumbar) or M41.06 (lumbar) is more anatomically precise. Do not use M41.07 when the primary apex is clearly in the mid- or upper lumbar spine — use M41.06 in that case.

Key exclusions: congenital scoliosis NOS maps to Q67.5, scoliosis due to bony malformation maps to Q76.3, postprocedural scoliosis maps to M96.89, and postradiation scoliosis maps to M96.5. None of these should be coded M41.07. If a child's scoliosis has a documented neuromuscular etiology, use M41.4x instead, sequencing the underlying condition first.

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M41.0 (laterality / anatomic variants).

M41.05

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, thoracolumbar region

M41.04

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, thoracic region

M41.03

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, cervicothoracic region

M41.06

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, lumbar region

M41.08

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, sacr/sacrocygl region

M41.02

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, cervical region

M41.00

Infantile idiopathic scoliosis, site unspecified

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 5 cited references ↓

01What age range qualifies a scoliosis diagnosis as 'infantile' for M41.07?

Onset from birth through 3 years of age. The diagnosis date — not the current encounter date — determines the subcategory. A patient of any current age retains M41.07 if lumbosacral infantile idiopathic scoliosis was the original documented diagnosis.

02How does M41.07 differ from M41.06 and M41.05?

M41.06 covers the lumbar region, M41.05 covers the thoracolumbar region, and M41.07 covers the lumbosacral junction specifically. Use the code that matches where the curve apex or primary involved segment is documented. Do not assign multiple region codes for a single curve unless two distinct curves are documented.

03Can M41.07 and Q76.3 be coded together?

No. Q76.3 (congenital scoliosis due to bony malformation) carries an Excludes1 relationship with M41. If a structural vertebral anomaly such as hemivertebra is the cause, Q76.3 replaces M41.07 — they are mutually exclusive.

04Should a curve spanning both lumbar and sacral levels be coded M41.06 or M41.07?

Code to the region that best captures the primary curve. If clinical and imaging documentation specifies the lumbosacral junction as the primary site, use M41.07. If the curve is centered in the lumbar spine without meaningful sacral involvement, M41.06 is more accurate.

05Is a separate code needed if the patient previously had spinal fusion for this condition?

Yes. Append Z98.1 (arthrodesis status) as a secondary diagnosis when the patient has a history of surgically induced spinal fusion. This adds clinical context that can affect DRG grouping and payer review.

06What if the infantile scoliosis was previously resolved and has now recurred or progressed — do I still use M41.07?

Yes, as long as the original diagnosis was infantile idiopathic scoliosis of the lumbosacral region and no new etiology has been identified. The coding convention for idiopathic scoliosis is based on age at first diagnosis, not the clinical course after that point.

Sources & references

Editorial content was developed using the following public sources. Last verified May 8, 2026.

01CDC ICD-10-CM Tabular List 2026 (effective October 1, 2025)
02
icd10data.com
https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M40-M43/M41-/M41.07
03
theamericanchiropractor.com
https://theamericanchiropractor.com/article/2016/3/1/icd-10-coding-for-scoliosis
04
clear-institute.org
https://clear-institute.org/blog/icd-10-coding-for-scoliosis/
05
vsac.nlm.nih.gov
https://vsac.nlm.nih.gov/context/cs/codesystem/ICD10CM/version/2020/code/M41.07/info

Mira AI Scribe

Mira's AI scribe captures age at first diagnosis, documented spinal region (lumbosacral), Cobb angle with vertebral endpoints, and any imaging confirmation of idiopathic (non-congenital, non-neuromuscular) etiology. Capturing these details at the point of care prevents a downcode to nonspecific M41.9 and closes the documentation gap that triggers payer requests for additional records.

See how Mira captures M41.07 documentation