M75.02

Adhesive capsulitis of the left shoulder — pathological fibrosis and contracture of the glenohumeral joint capsule causing progressive loss of active and passive range of motion on the left side.

Verified May 8, 2026 · 4 sources ↓

Status: Billable
Chapter: 13
Related CPT: 14
Region: Shoulder

Drawn from CDCICD10DataAAPCIcdcodes

Documentation tips

What should appear in the chart to support M75.02.

Source · Editorial brief grounded in 4 cited references ↓

Explicitly name the side — 'left shoulder' — in the assessment or impression; vague entries like 'frozen shoulder' without laterality force a drop to unspecified M75.00.
Record active and passive ROM measurements for the left shoulder (flexion, abduction, external/internal rotation) to support medical necessity for therapy and injections.
If MRI was obtained, document capsular thickening findings and any axillary recess obliteration; imaging confirmation strengthens the diagnosis and supports higher-acuity E/M coding.
Note the clinical stage (freezing, frozen, thawing) and duration of symptoms — payers and utilization reviewers use this to evaluate conservative care history before authorizing surgical intervention.
When bilateral adhesive capsulitis is present, document both shoulders separately in the assessment and assign M75.01 and M75.02 on the claim — do not use M75.0 alone.
Drop shoulder pain codes (M25.512) once adhesive capsulitis is the confirmed diagnosis; symptom codes are redundant and can attract audit scrutiny.

Related CPT procedures

Procedure codes commonly billed with M75.02. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.

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

99203 $117.57

New patient office or outpatient visit requiring a medically appropriate history and/or examination with low-complexity medical decision-making, or 30–44 minutes of total provider time on the date of the encounter.

99204 $177.36

New patient office or outpatient visit requiring moderate medical decision making, or 45–59 minutes of total provider time on the date of the encounter.

99205 $236.81

New patient office or outpatient visit requiring high-complexity medical decision making, or 60–74 minutes of total time on the date of encounter.

99213 $95.19

Established patient office or outpatient visit requiring 20–29 minutes of total time or low-complexity medical decision-making.

99214 $135.61

Office visit for an established patient requiring moderate-complexity medical decision making (MDM), or 30–39 minutes of total provider time on the date of service.

99215 $192.39

Highest-level office or outpatient E/M visit for an established patient, qualifying via high-complexity medical decision making or 40–54 minutes of total provider time on the date of service.

20610 $68.81

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

23020 $650.65

Open surgical release of a contracted shoulder joint capsule to restore glenohumeral range of motion, typically performed for adhesive capsulitis or post-traumatic stiffness.

29825 $553.45

Arthroscopic shoulder surgery to cut and remove adhesions restricting joint motion, with or without manipulation of the shoulder

97110 $29.06

Therapeutic exercise billed per 15-minute unit, targeting strength, endurance, range of motion, or flexibility with direct one-on-one patient contact.

97140 $27.72

Skilled, hands-on manual therapy techniques — including joint mobilization/manipulation, manual lymphatic drainage, and manual traction — applied to one or more body regions, billed per 15-minute unit.

73030 $35.74

Radiologic examination of the shoulder requiring a minimum of two views, reported as a single unit regardless of how many views are obtained.

99202 View procedure details

99212 View procedure details

Common coding pitfalls

The recurring mistakes coders make with M75.02 and adjacent codes.

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

Using the non-billable parent M75.0 on a claim instead of the laterality-specific M75.02 — payers will reject or downcode the claim.
Assigning M75.02 when the note documents right shoulder or fails to specify a side — laterality must match the documented affected joint; default to M75.00 only if the provider genuinely did not specify.
Pairing M75.02 with rotator cuff tear codes (M75.1x) when the two are distinct diagnoses in the same encounter — confirm each is independently documented; the tabular Excludes note flags these as separate entities.
Continuing to report shoulder pain (M25.512) alongside M75.02 after the definitive diagnosis is established — symptom codes are excluded once a confirmed diagnosis is coded.
Applying a 7th-character extension to M75.02 — M-codes in Chapter 13 do not use 7th-character encounter designations (A/D/S); those apply to S-code injury codes only.

Clinical context

Source · Editorial summary grounded in 4 cited references ↓

M75.02 is the billable code for adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) specifically affecting the left shoulder. Use it when the provider has documented a left-sided diagnosis — either by explicit anatomic language ('left shoulder frozen shoulder,' 'left periarthritis of shoulder') or by clinical findings confined to the left glenohumeral joint. The parent code M75.0 and sibling code M75.01 (right) are not acceptable substitutes when laterality is documented.

The condition progresses through three clinical stages: freezing (painful, early ROM loss), frozen (stiffness predominates), and thawing (gradual resolution). ICD-10-CM does not offer stage-specific codes, so M75.02 covers all stages. If the presentation is bilateral, assign both M75.01 and M75.02; the parent M75.0 is non-billable and cannot stand alone on a claim.

M75.02 groups into MS-DRG 557 (Tendonitis, myositis and bursitis with MCC) and 558 (without MCC) under MS-DRG v43.0. The tabular Excludes notes under M75 warn against using shoulder lesion codes when shoulder-hand syndrome (M89.0-) is the correct diagnosis. Do not layer symptom codes (pain, limited ROM) once M75.02 is established as the definitive diagnosis.

Sibling codes

Other billable codes under M75.0 (laterality / anatomic variants).

M75.00

Adhesive capsulitis of unspecified shoulder

M75.01

Adhesive capsulitis of right shoulder

Frequently asked questions

Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 4 cited references ↓

01What is the difference between M75.00, M75.01, and M75.02?

M75.00 is adhesive capsulitis of an unspecified shoulder (use only when laterality is truly not documented). M75.01 specifies the right shoulder. M75.02 specifies the left shoulder. Always code to the highest level of specificity your documentation supports — M75.00 is an audit risk if laterality appears anywhere in the note.

02Can M75.02 be used for all three stages of frozen shoulder?

Yes. ICD-10-CM does not subdivide adhesive capsulitis by clinical stage. M75.02 covers the freezing, frozen, and thawing phases. Document the stage in the note for clinical clarity and medical necessity, but the code does not change between stages.

03How do I code bilateral adhesive capsulitis?

Assign both M75.01 (right) and M75.02 (left) on the same claim. The parent M75.0 is non-billable and cannot be used as a standalone code. List both laterality-specific codes and ensure the note documents bilateral involvement.

04Should I also code shoulder pain when reporting M75.02?

No. Once adhesive capsulitis is the established diagnosis, pain and limited ROM are integral to the condition. Coding M25.512 (pain in left shoulder) alongside M75.02 is redundant and can trigger claim audits. Drop the symptom code.

05Which CPT procedures most commonly pair with M75.02?

E/M visits (99202–99215), corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid injection of the shoulder joint (20610), physical therapy codes (97110 therapeutic exercise, 97140 manual therapy), and shoulder X-ray (73030) for baseline or follow-up imaging are the most common pairings. Arthroscopic capsular release (29825) is used when conservative care fails.

06Does M75.02 require a 7th-character extension?

No. Seventh-character extensions (A, D, S for initial, subsequent, sequela) apply to trauma/injury codes in Chapter 19 (S-codes), not to musculoskeletal disease codes in Chapter 13 like M75.02. Adding a 7th character to M75.02 creates an invalid code.

07What Excludes notes apply to M75.02?

The M75 category carries a Type 2 Excludes for shoulder-hand syndrome (M89.0-), meaning that condition is coded separately if present. Additionally, rotator cuff tear (M75.1-) and impingement syndrome (M75.4-) are distinct codes — do not substitute M75.02 for those diagnoses or assume they are included.

Sources & references

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

01CDC ICD-10-CM Tabular List 2026 (effective Oct 1, 2025)
02
icd10data.com
https://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M70-M79/M75-/M75.02
03
aapc.com
https://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M75.02
04
icdcodes.ai
https://icdcodes.ai/diagnosis/adhesive-capsulitis/documentation

Mira AI Scribe

The Mira AI Scribe captures the documented affected side (left), clinical ROM deficits in all planes, duration and stage of stiffness, any imaging findings (capsular thickening, axillary recess), and prior conservative treatments — PT, NSAIDs, corticosteroid injections. This prevents a laterality drop to unspecified M75.00, suppresses redundant symptom codes, and provides the medical necessity documentation needed to support injection or surgical authorization.

See how Mira captures M75.02 documentation