In House M.D., which fictional disease caused Dr. House’s chronic leg pain?

An infarction of the quadriceps muscle caused Dr. House’s chronic leg pain in House M.D.

House suffered a vascular infarction in his right thigh muscle, meaning that blood flow was blocked and muscle tissue died. The injury was not treated immediately because House initially believed he could manage the symptoms. By the time the problem was recognized, surgery could not restore the damaged tissue normally.

The condition leaves House with permanent pain and a distinctive limp. He uses a cane and relies on medication, creating the physical and psychological features that define much of his character. The series reveals details of the event gradually, especially through flashbacks and conversations about House’s former relationship with Stacy Warner.

This backstory is sometimes simplified as a leg injury or tendon problem, but the specific event is a quadriceps infarction. That distinction matters because the diagnosis explains both the muscle damage and the chronic pain that follows.