2027 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code S46Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

ICD-10-CM Codes›S00–T88›S40-S49›S46

ICD-10-CM S46
CMSSource: CMS FY 2027 ICD-10-CM dataset · Effective Oct 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2027

S46 is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code for injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, so it cannot be submitted on claims. Use a more specific code from this category instead, such as S46.001A, S46.001D, S46.001S, and S46.002A.

Code Identity

ICD-10-CM Code
S46
Billable Status
No — Non-Billable Category
Code Describes
Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level
Short Description
Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shldr/up arm
Chapter
S40-S49
Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm

Code Classification

ChapterS00–T88Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes
SectionS40-S49Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm
CategoryS46Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level
This CodeS46Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

Specific Coding for Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shldr/up armOverview

Non-specific codes like S46 require more characters. Use one of these billable codes instead:

  • S46.0 for Injury of muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of shoulder

  • S46.00 for Unspecified injury of muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of shoulder

  • S46.01 for Strain of muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of shoulder

  • S46.02 for Laceration of muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of shoulder

  • S46.09 for Other injury of muscle(s) and tendon(s) of the rotator cuff of shoulder

  • S46.1 for Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of long head of biceps

  • S46.10 for Unspecified injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of long head of biceps

  • S46.11 for Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of long head of biceps

  • S46.12 for Laceration of muscle, fascia and tendon of long head of biceps

  • S46.19 for Other injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of long head of biceps

  • S46.2 for Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of other parts of biceps

  • S46.20 for Unspecified injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of other parts of biceps

  • S46.21 for Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of other parts of biceps

  • S46.22 for Laceration of muscle, fascia and tendon of other parts of biceps

  • S46.29 for Other injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of other parts of biceps

  • S46.3 for Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of triceps

  • S46.30 for Unspecified injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of triceps

  • S46.31 for Strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of triceps

  • S46.32 for Laceration of muscle, fascia and tendon of triceps

  • S46.39 for Other injury of muscle, fascia and tendon of triceps

  • S46.8 for Injury of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.80 for Unspecified injury of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.81 for Strain of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.82 for Laceration of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.89 for Other injury of other muscles, fascia and tendons at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.9 for Injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.90 for Unspecified injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.91 for Strain of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.92 for Laceration of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

  • S46.99 for Other injury of unspecified muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level

Coding GuidelinesGuidance

The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from block Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level (S46). Use the following options for the applicable episode of care:

  • A - initial encounter
  • D - subsequent encounter
  • S - sequela

Source: ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027, published by CMS and the National Center for Health Statistics.

Instructional NotesGuidance

Instructions from the official ICD-10-CM Tabular List that apply to S46: its own notes plus those printed at block S40-S49 and Chapter 19. A note printed at a category, block or chapter applies to every code under it.

Includes

Further defines, or gives examples of, the content of the category.

From Block S40-S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm applies to 2,730 codes
  • injuries of axilla
  • injuries of scapular region

Excludes2

Not included here: the excluded condition is not part of this code, but a patient may have both, so both codes may be reported.

On S46 itself
  • injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at elbow (S56.-)
  • sprain of joints and ligaments of shoulder girdle (S43.9)
From Block S40-S49 Injuries to the shoulder and upper arm applies to 2,730 codes
From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes

Use Additional Code

Add a second code, after this one, to fully describe the condition.

From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes
  • code to identify any retained foreign body, if applicable (Z18.-)

Code Also

A second code may be needed to fully describe the condition; the note gives no sequencing direction.

  • any associated open wound (S41.-)

Notes

General instructions on how these codes are used.

From Chapter 19 (S00-T88) Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes applies to 41,187 codes
  • Use secondary code(s) from Chapter 20, External causes of morbidity, to indicate cause of injury. Codes within the T section that include the external cause do not require an additional external cause code
  • The chapter uses the S-section for coding different types of injuries related to single body regions and the T-section to cover injuries to unspecified body regions as well as poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes.

7th Character

Every code in the category takes a 7th character from the listed values, with the placeholder X filling any empty positions before it.

  • The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category S46
Values for category S46 Encounter: Initial, Subsequent, Sequela
  • Ainitial encounter
  • Dsubsequent encounter
  • Ssequela

Source: CMS ICD-10-CM Tabular List. How to read instructional notes.

Referenced in Other NotesGuidance

Instructional notes printed at other codes that name S46, its category, or a range that includes it.

Excludes2 1

These codes carry an Excludes2 note naming S46: its condition is not part of those codes, and both may be reported when the patient has both.

  • S43 Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of shoulder girdle
    strain of muscle, fascia and tendon of shoulder and upper arm (S46.-)

Patient EducationClinical

Arm Injuries and Disorders

Of the 206 bones in your body, three of them are in your arm: the humerus, radius, and ulna. Your arms are also made up of muscles, joints, tendons, and other connective tissue. Injuries to any of these parts of the arm can occur during sports, a fall, or an accident.

Read the full article at MedlinePlus

Courtesy of MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Code HistoryHistory

FY 2016AddedAdded to the ICD-10-CM code setEffective October 1, 2015, the first year of ICD-10-CM.
FY 2017–2026No changes
FY 2027CurrentCurrent code set, no changesEffective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.

Questions About S46Overview

What is the ICD-10 code for injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level?

S46 is the ICD-10-CM category for injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, but it is a non-billable header: claims need a more specific code from this category, listed on this page.

Is S46 a billable code?

No. This is a category header that groups the codes for injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level, and headers cannot be submitted on claims. Claims for injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at shoulder and upper arm level need a more specific code from this category, such as S46.001A, S46.001D, and S46.001S.