Cervical spondylosis without myelopathy

This code represents degenerative changes in the cervical spine, such as disc degeneration, osteophyte formation, and facet joint arthritis, without evidence of spinal cord compression. It signifies age-related wear and tear affecting the neck vertebrae and intervertebral discs. Patients typically experience neck pain, stiffness, and sometimes radiating pain into the shoulders or arms.

Use this code when documentation clearly indicates cervical spondylosis as the diagnosis, and specifically states the absence of myelopathy. This applies to patients presenting with chronic neck pain, limited range of motion, or radicular symptoms where imaging (e.g., X-ray, MRI) confirms degenerative changes without spinal cord involvement. Physician notes must explicitly rule out myelopathy for this code to be appropriate.

• Ensure the physician's documentation explicitly states "without myelopathy" or provides clinical findings that rule out spinal cord compression.
• Do not use this code if there is any indication of spinal cord involvement; instead, consider codes for cervical spondylosis with myelopathy.
• Consider additional codes for associated symptoms such as radiculopathy (e.g., 723.4) if documented.