Hill Sachs Lesion

This is the name given to the bone injury on the back of the humeral head seen in anterior dislocation of the shoulder.

It describes the bone impaction caused by the humeral head sitting on the sharp angle at the front of the shoulder when it dislocates. Of itself it causes no long-term symptoms but can result in instability becoming persistent in the shoulder.

A symptomatic Hill-Sachs lesion is one that causes the shoulder to dislocate and surgery is based around preventing further dislocation either by addressing the primary cause at the front of the shoulder or in unusual cases addressing the Hill-Sachs lesion itself.