What caused House’s permanent limp in House M.D.?
Answer
An infarction in his quadriceps muscle
House’s permanent limp was caused by an infarction in his quadriceps muscle. The muscle infarction reduced blood flow to the tissue in his right thigh and eventually required major surgery.
In the series’ backstory, House initially suffered the infarction while playing golf. Doctors did not recognize the problem correctly at first, and the delayed treatment allowed the muscle damage to become severe.
House chose a procedure that removed dead muscle while preserving his leg. The result was chronic pain, a distinctive limp, and reliance on a cane. His pain also contributed to his long-term misuse of Vicodin.
The injury is often simplified as a generic accident or sports injury. That is not the canonical explanation: the golf game was the circumstance in which the infarction occurred, while the infarction itself caused the lasting damage.