Sprain of posterior cruciate ligament of unsp knee, sequela

This code indicates a chronic or residual issue stemming from a previous injury to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of an unspecified knee. It signifies that the initial PCL sprain has healed, but the patient continues to experience long-term effects such as pain, instability, or functional limitation.

Use this code when documenting a patient presenting with ongoing symptoms directly attributable to an old PCL sprain, where the specific knee (left or right) is not documented. This applies to follow-up visits for chronic PCL instability, persistent pain after initial healing, or functional deficits related to the past injury.

• Ensure documentation clearly links current symptoms to a previously sustained PCL sprain.
• Avoid using this code for acute PCL sprains; those require an initial encounter or subsequent encounter code.
• If the specific knee is known, use the laterality-specific sequela code (S83.521S or S83.522S).