Late effect of injury to peripheral nerve of shoulder girdle and upper limb

This code signifies a long-term or residual condition resulting from a past injury to a peripheral nerve in the shoulder girdle or upper extremity. These late effects manifest after the acute phase of the initial injury has resolved, but the nerve damage continues to cause symptoms or functional impairment. Examples include chronic pain, weakness, sensory deficits, or atrophy stemming from a previous nerve laceration, compression, or contusion.

Apply this code when documentation clearly indicates a current condition is a sequela of an old injury to a peripheral nerve of the shoulder or arm. This is appropriate for patients presenting with ongoing neurological deficits directly attributable to a prior trauma, such as persistent ulnar neuropathy after a distal humerus fracture or chronic radial nerve palsy following a humeral shaft injury. The medical record should specify the causal link between the past injury and the current nerve-related symptoms.

• Always sequence this code after the code identifying the specific late effect (e.g., muscle weakness, sensory loss).
• Do not use this code for acute nerve injuries; those are coded with acute injury codes.
• Ensure documentation specifies the peripheral nerve involvement and the shoulder girdle or upper limb location.