Contusion of left knee, sequela

This code signifies a bruise or injury to the soft tissues of the left knee, resulting from blunt force trauma, where the acute injury has resolved and the patient is now presenting for follow-up care or management of a residual effect. It indicates that the initial injury has passed the acute phase and the current encounter addresses a lingering issue or complication directly related to the original contusion.

This code is appropriate for encounters where a patient is being seen for a persistent symptom (e.g., pain, swelling, limited range of motion) of a previously sustained contusion to the left knee, after the initial healing period. It should be used when the focus of the visit is on the long-term effects or management of the sequela of the original injury, not the acute injury itself.

• Ensure documentation clearly supports the "sequela" nature of the encounter, indicating the acute phase has passed.
• Always code the underlying cause of the contusion (e.g., fall, sports injury) as an external cause code, if known and applicable to the encounter.
• Do not use this code for an initial encounter for an acute contusion; use the appropriate acute contusion code (e.g., S80.02XA).