Juvenile osteochondrosis affecting the tarsal bones of the left ankle — a growth-related disruption of blood supply to one or more tarsal ossification centers in a skeletally immature patient.
Verified May 8, 2026 · 5 sources ↓
- Status
- Billable
- Chapter
- 13
- Related CPT
- 8
- Region
- Foot & ankle
Documentation tips
What should appear in the chart to support M92.62.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in 5 cited references ↓
- Confirm and document left-sided laterality explicitly — 'left ankle' or 'left foot' must appear in the clinical note to support M92.62 over M92.60.
- Record the patient's skeletal maturity status (age, open growth plates on imaging) to justify use of a juvenile osteochondrosis code rather than an adult degenerative code.
- Identify the specific tarsal bone involved (calcaneus = Sever's, navicular = Köhler's, talus = Diaz, os tibiale externum = Haglund's) — the provider note should name the structure, even though M92.62 covers all tarsal sites.
- Document imaging findings: X-ray irregularity or fragmentation of the ossification center, MRI signal changes, or bone scan uptake pattern that support the diagnosis.
- Record conservative care history (activity modification, orthotics, physical therapy) if surgical or advanced intervention is being considered — payers may require it for medical necessity.
Related CPT procedures
Procedure codes commonly billed with M92.62. Linking the right diagnosis to the right procedure is what establishes medical necessity.
Source · CMS LCDs · AAOS specialty guidance · claims-pattern analysis
Common coding pitfalls
The recurring mistakes coders make with M92.62 and adjacent codes.
Source · Editorial brief grounded in CDC ICD-10-CM tabular guidance, AAOS coding references, and cited references ↓
- Using M92.62 for Haglund's deformity without confirming the diagnosis is truly juvenile osteochondrosis versus a structural bony prominence — Haglund's deformity in adults maps to different codes (e.g., M89.8X7 or M77.3x).
- Defaulting to M92.60 (unspecified) when laterality is clearly documented as left — always capture M92.62 when the note specifies the left side.
- Applying M92.62 to adult patients: this is a juvenile osteochondrosis code and is clinically inappropriate for skeletally mature individuals; use M93.x or osteoarthritis codes instead.
- Coding bilateral tarsal osteochondrosis with only M92.62 — if both ankles are affected, M92.61 (right) should be listed alongside M92.62 (left); do not use M92.62 alone to represent bilateral disease.
Clinical context
Source · Editorial summary grounded in 5 cited references ↓
M92.62 applies to juvenile osteochondrosis of the tarsus localized to the left ankle. The parent category M92.6 covers several named conditions depending on which tarsal bone is affected: Sever's disease (calcaneus), Köhler's disease (tarsal navicular), Diaz disease (talus), and Haglund's osteochondrosis (os tibiale externum). When the provider documents one of these eponyms affecting the left foot, M92.62 is the correct billable code — provided the patient is skeletally immature and laterality is confirmed as left.
The code sits within MS-DRG 553 (Bone diseases and arthropathies with MCC) and 554 (without MCC) for inpatient encounters. For outpatient orthopedic settings, this diagnosis typically pairs with imaging-based workup and conservative management. The distinction between which tarsal bone is involved matters clinically but does not require a more granular ICD-10 code — M92.62 covers all left-sided tarsal osteochondroses under one billable code.
Do not use M92.62 for adults with degenerative or post-traumatic tarsal conditions; those map elsewhere (e.g., M19.x or M93.x). If the provider documents bilateral involvement, do not stack two lateral codes — use M92.60 (unspecified/bilateral is not a distinct code; bilateral synonyms map to M92.60 per approximate synonym listings) or document each side separately with M92.61 and M92.62 as appropriate based on payer policy.
Sibling codes
Other billable codes under M92.6 (laterality / anatomic variants).
Frequently asked questions
Source · Generated from the editorial pipeline, verified against 5 cited references ↓
01Does M92.62 cover Sever's disease, Köhler's disease, and Haglund's osteochondrosis all in one code?
02What is the right code if both ankles are affected?
03Can M92.62 be used for an adult patient with tarsal navicular pain?
04Is M92.62 valid for Haglund's deformity, or should a different code be used?
05What MS-DRGs does M92.62 group to for inpatient encounters?
06Does M92.62 require a 7th character extension?
07What imaging documentation best supports M92.62 at audit?
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)
- 02icd10data.comhttps://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/M00-M99/M91-M94/M92-/M92.62
- 03aapc.comhttps://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M92.62
- 04aapc.comhttps://www.aapc.com/codes/icd-10-codes/M92.6
- 05icdcodes.aihttps://icdcodes.ai/icd10/M92.62
Mira AI Scribe
Mira captures left-sided laterality, the named tarsal bone affected (calcaneus, navicular, talus, or os tibiale externum), the patient's age and skeletal maturity status, and imaging findings such as ossification center fragmentation or MRI signal abnormality. This prevents a downcode to M92.60 (unspecified) and supports audit defense by tying the diagnosis to objective findings documented at the encounter.
See how Mira captures M92.62 documentation