Pincer morphology in Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAIS)

In a typical hip, there's a slight concave curve (sometimes described as a ‘scoop’) where the neck of the femur meets the head, and the socket sits angled slightly forward - a feature known as anteversion. 

This shape allows the femoral head to move through its full range without catching on the socket's rim.

Pincer morphology sits on the acetabular side of the hip joint.

It describes overcoverage of the socket over the femoral head, either in one area (focal) or around the whole rim (global) and is typically associated with either a retroverted or unusually deep acetabulum.