Gregory House usually uses a cane in House M.D.
House walks with a limp and relies on a cane because of permanent leg damage caused by an infarction in the quadriceps muscle of his right leg. The injury is explained through flashbacks and dialogue rather than being merely a visual character trait.
His cane becomes one of the show’s most recognizable props. House sometimes modifies or handles it in distinctive ways, but it remains a conventional walking cane rather than a walker or wheelchair. The injury also contributes to his chronic pain and long-term use of Vicodin.
The cane is connected to several themes in the series: House’s physical vulnerability, his frustration with limitations, and the contrast between his impaired walking and exceptional diagnostic skill. The show sometimes explores whether his pain, medication use, and personality are separate problems or parts of the same difficult life.