Neurology & Pain Management Coding:
Name Gait Abnormality, Nail Dx Coding
Published on Tue Feb 03, 2026
Question: If a patient has a diagnosis of abnormal gait, am I able to assign an ICD-10-CM code with just this information?
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Answer: Yes, but the diagnosis coding will be more accurate if you can find out more information about the condition; then, you will know where to place your focus when choosing a code from the R26.- (Abnormalities of gait and mobility) subcategory.
If you cannot find more specifics about the patient’s gait in the notes and cannot query the physician, you should report R26.9 (Unspecified abnormalities of gait and mobility) for this patient.
Do this: Before settling on R26.9, go back and check the notes for more information on the patient’s condition. Then, see if you can choose a more specific diagnosis code. Below are the other codes from the R26.- subcategory, along with a description of the symptoms:
- R26.0 (Ataxic gait): Also known as staggering gait, ataxic gait occurs when the patient “has an unsteady and uncoordinated walk. This type of gait makes it difficult for the person to maintain balance while walking,” according to Codify.
- R26.1 (Paralytic gait): Also known as spastic gait, paralytic gait occurs when the patient experiences some form of paralysis while walking. “Patients have involvement on both sides with spasticity in lower extremities worse than upper extremities. The patient walks with an abnormally narrow base, dragging both legs and scraping the toes,” according to Stanford Medicine. “There is also characteristic extreme tightness of hip adductors which can cause legs to cross the midline referred to as a scissors gait.”
- R26.2 (Difficulty in walking, not elsewhere classified): Use this code when the patient’s difficulty walking cannot be represented by a more specific ICD-10-CM code.
- R26.81 (Unsteadiness on feet): This code is applicable if the patient has trouble walking or standing.
- R26.89 (Other abnormalities of gait and mobility): This code is applicable if the physician identifies the gait abnormality, but it doesn’t line up with a more specific ICD-10-CM code.
Chris Boucher, MS, CPC, Senior Development Editor, AAPC
