M72.2: Plantar Fasciitis ICD-10

M72.2 is the Plantar Fasciitis ICD-10 code for heel pain, a common complaint among patients visiting an outpatient physical therapy clinic. While several conditions can lead to heel pain, the most common is Plantar Fasciitis (PF).

Summary

• Plantar Fasciitis (PF) is a common cause of heel pain, primarily resulting from microtears in the plantar fascia rather than inflammation. The ICD-10 code for PF is M72.2, which is essential for proper insurance billing and reimbursement. Enrolling in an insurance billing course for therapists can help providers enhance their knowledge of reimbursement.

• PF is an overuse condition influenced by factors such as foot arch abnormalities, limited ankle mobility, prolonged standing, improper footwear, and high-impact activities.

• Treatment includes manual therapy, stretching, taping, night splints, and therapeutic exercise, with additional interventions like dry needling and low-level laser therapy offering moderate benefits.

• Proper documentation and accurate billing using M72.2 ensure timely reimbursement from insurance companies. Utilizing an EHR system with integrated billing software, such as TheraPlatform, helps automate claim submissions, track payments, and streamline administrative tasks, allowing therapists to focus more on patient care.

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The plantar fascia, also known as the plantar aponeurosis is a thick band of connective tissue that originates on the medial tubercle of the calcaneus and inserts into the deep transverse ligaments at the bases of the metatarsal heads.

The plantar fascia balances tensile strength with flexibility to maintain the foot arch. It helps absorb shock during walking and other weight-bearing activities and may help conserve energy for propulsion through the windlass mechanism.

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PF is considered an overuse condition. The term plantar fasciitis, more specifically the suffix “itis, implies this condition is caused by inflammation of the plantar aponeurosis. In reality, PF is caused by microtears in the fascia and typically there is a notable lack of traditional inflammation found on imaging.

Risk factors for developing PF include:

• Pes planus
• Pes cavus
• Limited ankle dorsiflexion PROM
• Prolonged standing
• Repetitive jumping
• Excessive pronation or supination
• Tightness in the gastroc and soleus
• The presence of heel spurs (commonly found in patients with PF but not the cause of PF)
• Heel pad atrophy
• Older age
• Obesity
• Participation in high-volume weight-bearing activities like running or occupations that require prolonged standing
• Improper footwear

Common symptoms of PF include a history of progressive heel pain most commonly at the inferior and medial heel but in severe cases may radiate proximally. Pain is often described as sharp and is worse during the first few steps out of bed in the morning or after a period of prolonged sitting or standing.

Generally, the pain lessens at the beginning of an athletic activity but worsens throughout the day as activity increases. Tenderness to palpation is typically noted along the plantar medial calcaneal tubercle at the site of insertion of the plantar fascia and passive ankle dorsiflexion or toe extension can reproduce their pain.

Though PF can be identified by MRI, it is most commonly diagnosed clinically based on symptom presentation and physical examination. X-rays are not necessary to diagnose PF but may be recommended to rule out other conditions like a heel spur or chronic calcaneal stress fracture.

Physical therapists treat plantar fasciitis by addressing underlying factors and promoting reorganization and healing of the plantar fascia tissue. Like all diagnoses, proper billing and coding for the treatment and management of PF is essential for timely and accurate reimbursement from insurance payers. The next section of this article will introduce you to ICD-10 codes, and more specifically, the ICD-10 commonly used for cases of PF such as the M72.2 ICD 10 code.

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What is the diagnosis code M72.2?

All HIPAA-covered entities are required to submit ICD-10 codes if seeking reimbursement for services from an insurance company. The International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a set of diagnosis, symptom, and procedure alphanumeric codes that identify a medical diagnosis and help insurance companies understand why the care you provide is medically necessary and therefore, reimbursable.

M72.2, plantar fascial fibromatosis is the ICD-10 code used to describe unilateral or bilateral cases of PF. It is considered specific enough to be reimbursable by insurance companies.

You may consider including additional applicable and relevant ICD-10 codes outside of M72.2 that describe functional limitations such as R26.89: Other abnormalities of gait and mobility (painful gait).

Treatment and management of Plantar Fasciitis

The goals of treatment for PF include reducing pain and discomfort, promoting healing of microtears, improving foot mechanics and addressing contributing factors in order to restore an individual’s level of function.

Physical therapy is an excellent conservative treatment choice for PF and typically requires a multimodal treatment approach. The Clinical Practice Guideline for Plantar Fasciitis (2023) suggests several treatment approaches may be effective in the treatment and management of PF.

Grade A Recommendations (strong evidence) for Plantar Fasciitis

• Manual therapy: Manual therapy techniques targeted at restrictions and impairments in the joints and soft tissues of the lower extremity are recommended to address flexibility and joint mobility, decrease pain and improve function

• Stretching: Plantar fascia-specific and gastroc/soleus-specific stretching techniques to provide short and long-term pain reduction, improve tissue extensibility and overall function should be performed

• Taping: Rigid or elastic taping techniques for PF should be applied in conjunction with other physical therapy interventions

• Night splints: Clinicians should prescribe a 1-3 month trial of night splints for those patients experiencing pain with their first steps in the morning

Grade B Recommendations (moderate evidence) for Plantas Fasciitis

• Low level laser therapy: This modality should be used in conjunction with other treatments to decrease pain in acute and chronic PF.

• Therapeutic Exercise/Neuromuscular Re-education: Should be prescribed and include resistance training for the foot and ankle musculature.

• Dry needling: Clinicians should use dry needling to MTrP in the gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantar muscles of the foot for short-and long-term pain reduction, as well as long-term improvements in function and disability.

Grade B/C Recommendations (weak-moderate evidence) for Plantar Fasciitis

• Foot orthotics: Clinicians should not recommend custom or prefabricated foot orthoses as a stand-alone intervention for short-term pain relief (Grade B) but may use them in conjunction with other treatments to address pain (Grade C)

Grade C and D (weak and conflicting evidence recommendations) and E

Phonophoresis (grade C)

Electrotherapy (grade D)

Education and Recommendations (supported by theoretical or foundational evidence, Grade E): Activity modification, weight management and referral to a nutrition specialist

Documentation and billing tips for using M72.2

As always, documentation is an important part of any treatment plan.

Thorough documentation and accurate billing helps limit claim and visit denials. Here are some tips for documenting and billing using the ICD-10 code M72.2:

• Document the patient’s subjective complaints including the pattern of symptoms that supports your physical therapy diagnosis

• Document functional limitations and link them to your goals and treatment plan

• Administer objective functional outcome measures like the Lower Extremity Functional Scale to support your treatment plan and track progress over time

• Regularly assess the patient’s response to treatment and document their need for ongoing physical therapy

• Verify coverage of interventions including modalities, dry needling and orthotic prescriptions ahead of time

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Comprehensive care for Plantar Fasciitis

A comprehensive treatment plan for Plantar Fasciitis should include a thorough evaluation, evidence-based treatment and accurate billing and coding using the M72.2 billing code. This process helps ensure your patient has the best chance of recovering from PF.

How EHR and practice management software can save physical therapists time with insurance billing for therapists

EHRs with integrated billing software and clearing houses, such as TheraPlatform, offer physical therapists significant advantages in creating an efficient insurance billing process. The key is minimizing the amount of time dedicated to developing, sending, and tracking medical claims through features such as automation and batching.

What are automation and batching?

• Automation refers to setting up software to perform tasks with limited human interaction.

• Batching or performing administrative tasks in blocks of time at once allows you to perform a task from a single entry point with less clicking.

Which billing and medical claim tasks can be automated and batched through billing software?

• Invoices: Create multiple invoices for multiple clients with a click or two of a button or set up auto-invoice creation, and the software will automatically create invoices for you at the preferred time. You can even have the system automatically send invoices to your clients.

• Credit card processing: Charge multiple clients with a click of a button or set up auto credit card billing, and the billing software will automatically charge the card (easier than swiping!)

• Email payment reminders: Never manually send another reminder email for payment again, or skip this altogether by enabling auto credit card charges.

• Automated claim creation and submission: Batch multiple claims with one button click or turn auto claim creation and submission on.

• Live claim validation: The system reviews each claim to catch any human errors before submission, saving you time and reducing rejected claims.

• Automated payment posting: Streamline posting procedures for paid medical claims with ERA. When insurance offers ERA, all their payments will post automatically on TheraPlatform's EHR.

• Tracking: Track payment and profits, including aging invoices, overdue invoices, transactions, billed services, service providers.

Utilizing billing software integrated with an EHR and practice management software can make storing and sharing billing and insurance easy and save providers time when it comes to insurance billing for therapists.

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Resources

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References

Buchanan BK, Sina RE, Kushner D. Plantar Fasciitis. [Updated 2024 Jan 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431073/

Koc TA Jr, Bise CG, Neville C, Carreira D, Martin RL, McDonough CM. Heel Pain - Plantar Fasciitis: Revision 2023. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2023 Dec;53(12):CPG1-CPG39. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2023.0303. PMID: 38037331.