R39.85UpcomingCategory · further specificity required

Costovertebral (angle) tenderness

Excludes 2 · 5

R39.85

Excludes 2

abdominal and pelvic pain (R10.-)

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)

More specific codes

R39.851Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, right side R39.852Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, left side R39.853Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, bilateral R39.859Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, unspecified side

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 · 2025-10-01

Code history

Latest recorded change · FY2026

ChangedUnchanged

FY2026

Effective from 2025-10-01

Added

Costovertebral (angle) tenderness

Category — select a more specific code

CDC/NCHS · FY2026

All editions (3)

All editions	Effective from	Code history
FY2026	2025-10-01	Added
FY2026 · April	2026-04-01	No tabular change
FY2027	2026-10-01	No tabular change

Code-level instructions

Excludes 2

abdominal and pelvic pain (R10.-)

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.

More specific codes

R39.851Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, right sideBillable / specific R39.852Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, left sideBillable / specific R39.853Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, bilateralBillable / specific R39.859Costovertebral (angle) tenderness, unspecified sideBillable / specific

Related codes

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

Code	Description	Category · further specificity required
R39.81	Functional urinary incontinence	Billable / specific
R39.82	Chronic bladder pain	Billable / specific
R39.83	Unilateral non-palpable testicle	Billable / specific
R39.84	Bilateral non-palpable testicles	Billable / specific
R39.89	Other symptoms and signs involving the genitourinary system	Billable / specific

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

References from other codes (1)

R10 · Abdominal and pelvic pain

Excludes 2 · costovertebral (angle) tenderness (R39.85)

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.