R10.81CurrentCategory · further specificity required

Abdominal tenderness

R10 · Inherited instructions

Excludes 1

renal colic (N23)

Excludes 2 · 18

R10.81

Excludes 2

pain localized to other parts of lower abdomen (R10.3-)
pain localized to upper abdomen (R10.1-)

Chapters 18 · Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)

Excludes 2

abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

R10-R19 · Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen (R10-R19)

Excludes 2

congenital or infantile pylorospasm (Q40.0)
gastrointestinal hemorrhage (K92.0-K92.2)
intestinal obstruction (K56.-)
newborn gastrointestinal hemorrhage (P54.0-P54.3)
newborn intestinal obstruction (P76.-)
pylorospasm (K31.3)
signs and symptoms involving the urinary system (R30-R39)
symptoms referable to female genital organs (N94.-)
symptoms referable to male genital organs (N48-N50)

R10 · Abdominal and pelvic pain

Excludes 2

costovertebral (angle) tenderness (R39.85)
dorsalgia (M54.-)
flatulence and related conditions (R14.-)

More specific codes

R10.811Right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness R10.812Left upper quadrant abdominal tenderness R10.813Right lower quadrant abdominal tenderness R10.814Left lower quadrant abdominal tenderness R10.815Periumbilic abdominal tenderness R10.816Epigastric abdominal tenderness R10.817Generalized abdominal tenderness R10.819Abdominal tenderness, unspecified site

Claims & coverage

When ICD-10-CM is required

For US diagnosis claims covered by HIPAA, ICD-10-CM is required from October 1, 2015.

Use the service date for outpatient/professional claims and the discharge date for hospital inpatient claims. Earlier encounters use ICD-9-CM; each individual code must also be valid for the applicable date.

Official coding guidelines → · CMS ↗

First observed · 2015-10-01

Code history

Latest recorded change · FY2026

ChangedUnchanged

FY2026

Effective from 2025-10-01

Code-level rules changed
Inherited rules changed

Abdominal tenderness

Category — select a more specific code

CDC/NCHS · FY2026

All editions (19)

All editions	Effective from	Code history
FY2016	2015-10-01	First observed
FY2017	2016-10-01	Inherited rules changed
FY2018	2017-10-01	No tabular change
FY2019	2018-10-01	No tabular change
FY2020	2019-10-01	No tabular change
FY2020 · April	2020-04-01	No tabular change
FY2021	2020-10-01	No tabular change
FY2021 · 01-01	2021-01-01	No tabular change
FY2022	2021-10-01	No tabular change
FY2022 · 04-01	2022-04-01	No tabular change
FY2023	2022-10-01	No tabular change
FY2023 · 04-01	2023-04-01	No tabular change
FY2024	2023-10-01	No tabular change
FY2024 · 04-01	2024-04-01	No tabular change
FY2025	2024-10-01	No tabular change
FY2025 · 04-01	2025-04-01	No tabular change
FY2026	2025-10-01	Code-level rules changed · Inherited rules changed
FY2026 · April	2026-04-01	No tabular change
FY2027	2026-10-01	No tabular change

Code-level instructions

Includes

Abdominal tenderness NOS

Excludes 2

pain localized to other parts of lower abdomen (R10.3-)
pain localized to upper abdomen (R10.1-)

Inherited instructions

Chapters 18 · Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)

Excludes 2

abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Note

This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
(a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
(b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
(c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
(d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
(e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
(f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.

R10-R19 · Symptoms and signs involving the digestive system and abdomen (R10-R19)

Excludes 2

congenital or infantile pylorospasm (Q40.0)
gastrointestinal hemorrhage (K92.0-K92.2)
intestinal obstruction (K56.-)
newborn gastrointestinal hemorrhage (P54.0-P54.3)
newborn intestinal obstruction (P76.-)
pylorospasm (K31.3)
signs and symptoms involving the urinary system (R30-R39)
symptoms referable to female genital organs (N94.-)
symptoms referable to male genital organs (N48-N50)

R10 · Abdominal and pelvic pain

Excludes 1

renal colic (N23)

Excludes 2

costovertebral (angle) tenderness (R39.85)
dorsalgia (M54.-)
flatulence and related conditions (R14.-)

More specific codes

R10.811Right upper quadrant abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.812Left upper quadrant abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.813Right lower quadrant abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.814Left lower quadrant abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.815Periumbilic abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.816Epigastric abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.817Generalized abdominal tendernessBillable / specific R10.819Abdominal tenderness, unspecified siteBillable / specific

Related codes

Other entries in the same category; these are not automatic substitutes.

Code	Description	Category · further specificity required
R10.82	Rebound abdominal tenderness	Category · further specificity required
R10.83	Colic	Billable / specific
R10.84	Generalized abdominal pain	Billable / specific
R10.85	Abdominal pain of multiple sites	Billable / specific
R10.8A	Flank tenderness	Category · further specificity required

Official titles and instructions are preserved in their source language. Official sources ↗

Chapters 18 · Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R99)

Excludes 2

abnormal findings on antenatal screening of mother (O28.-)
certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P04-P96)
signs and symptoms classified in the body system chapters
signs and symptoms of breast (N63, N64.5)

Note

This chapter includes symptoms, signs, abnormal results of clinical or other investigative procedures, and ill-defined conditions regarding which no diagnosis classifiable elsewhere is recorded.
Signs and symptoms that point rather definitely to a given diagnosis have been assigned to a category in other chapters of the classification. In general, categories in this chapter include the less well-defined conditions and symptoms that, without the necessary study of the case to establish a final diagnosis, point perhaps equally to two or more diseases or to two or more systems of the body. Practically all categories in the chapter could be designated 'not otherwise specified', 'unknown etiology' or 'transient'. The Alphabetical Index should be consulted to determine which symptoms and signs are to be allocated here and which to other chapters. The residual subcategories, numbered .8, are generally provided for other relevant symptoms that cannot be allocated elsewhere in the classification.
The conditions and signs or symptoms included in categories R00-R94 consist of:
(a) cases for which no more specific diagnosis can be made even after all the facts bearing on the case have been investigated;
(b) signs or symptoms existing at the time of initial encounter that proved to be transient and whose causes could not be determined;
(c) provisional diagnosis in a patient who failed to return for further investigation or care;
(d) cases referred elsewhere for investigation or treatment before the diagnosis was made;
(e) cases in which a more precise diagnosis was not available for any other reason;
(f) certain symptoms, for which supplementary information is provided, that represent important problems in medical care in their own right.