M62.830: Muscle spasm of back
Region: Soft tissue
By Dr. Daniel Turner, DC · Reviewed September 2, 2026
What does M62.830 mean?
M62.830 is the ICD-10-CM code for muscle spasm of the back, the code for the palpable, non traumatic paraspinal spasm found on examination.
Searched as muscle spasm ICD 10, back spasm diagnosis code, and M62.830 meaning.
When does a chiropractor use M62.830?
One of the most useful supporting codes in chiropractic billing: it names the objective soft tissue finding that justifies the manual therapy and massage lines on the claim. As a supporting code beside a regional pain or dysfunction diagnosis it does honest work; as a primary carrying the whole claim it is thin, because spasm is a finding, not a condition.
Coding rules that matter
- ✓Non traumatic; spasm from an injury event belongs with the S code strain family instead
- ✓Best used in the secondary position supporting 97140 and 97124 service lines
- ✓M62.838, other muscle spasm, covers non back sites
The codes around M62.830
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| M62.830 | Muscle spasm of back (this code) |
| M62.831 | Muscle spasm of calf |
| M62.838 | Other muscle spasm |
| M79.10 | Myalgia, unspecified site |
| S39.012A | Low back muscle strain, initial encounter |
When M62.830 is the wrong code
Not the headline diagnosis; spasm is a finding that supports a claim, not a condition that carries one. Post accident spasm belongs with the injury codes where the mechanism lives. Diffuse muscle pain without the palpable finding is myalgia in M79.1.
How does M62.830 work on Medicare chiropractic claims?
A supporting secondary code behind the regional M99.0 primary. It strengthens therapy line justification on claims where those services are covered, and it documents one of the PART elements, tissue tone, in coded form.
Where claims go wrong
Leading the claim with a finding level code; using it for post accident spasm that belongs on injury codes; coding it without the palpatory finding in the note.
How Cervica helps with M62.830
Cervica validates diagnosis pointers line by line before a claim goes out, checks the Medicare subluxation pairing and region agreement automatically, and carries diagnoses forward from the SOAP note so the claim always matches what the documentation actually says.
Related codes
- →M79.1 · Myalgia
- →S16.1XXA · Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon at neck level, initial encounter
- →S39.012A · Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of lower back, initial encounter
- →97140 · the CPT code this diagnosis most often supports
- →97124 · the CPT code this diagnosis most often supports
- →CO-97 · the denial coding mistakes here produce
Quick answers
What does M62.830 mean?
M62.830 is the ICD-10-CM code for muscle spasm of the back, the code for the palpable, non traumatic paraspinal spasm found on examination.
When does a chiropractor use M62.830?
One of the most useful supporting codes in chiropractic billing: it names the objective soft tissue finding that justifies the manual therapy and massage lines on the claim. As a supporting code beside a regional pain or dysfunction diagnosis it does honest work; as a primary carrying the whole claim it is thin, because spasm is a finding, not a condition.
How does M62.830 work on Medicare chiropractic claims?
A supporting secondary code behind the regional M99.0 primary. It strengthens therapy line justification on claims where those services are covered, and it documents one of the PART elements, tissue tone, in coded form.
General information for billing teams, not medical, legal, or coding advice for any individual claim. ICD-10-CM is maintained by CMS and the National Center for Health Statistics; the official code set and guidelines control. Payer policies vary.