What causes House’s limp in House M.D.?

House’s limp in House M.D. is caused by a quadriceps muscle infarction. The condition destroyed muscle tissue in his right thigh after blood flow was blocked.

House initially undergoes treatment that leaves him with chronic pain and a limp. He uses a cane and relies on pain medication, especially Vicodin, throughout much of the series. His disability and addiction are major elements of his character, but the show gradually reveals that the injury was more medically specific than a simple broken bone.

The infarction occurred after a blood clot obstructed circulation to the quadriceps. House’s former partner Stacy Warner authorized surgery while he was incapacitated, and the procedure saved his life but left substantial muscle damage. Viewers sometimes describe the injury as a leg infarction or assume that House simply suffered a fracture. The canonical explanation is infarction of the quadriceps muscle.