What caused House’s permanent leg injury in House M.D.?

House’s permanent leg injury was caused by a quadriceps muscle infarction in House M.D.

A muscle infarction occurs when tissue dies because its blood supply is severely reduced or interrupted. In House’s backstory, an infarction affected the quadriceps muscle in his right leg. Doctors initially missed the seriousness of the condition, and the damaged tissue was later removed.

The injury left House with chronic pain, a limp, and a reliance on a cane. It also became a central explanation for his guarded personality and dependence on pain medication. The show reveals the event in detail through “Three Stories,” which presents multiple patients and time periods.

The injury is often misidentified as a simple broken leg or an ordinary sports accident. Those descriptions do not match the series’ established medical backstory. House’s cane is a visible consequence of the muscle damage, not the original cause of it.