What condition caused the chronic leg pain treated with Vicodin for House M.D.’s Gregory House?

Gregory House’s chronic leg pain resulted from an infarction in his thigh muscle.

Before the series begins, House suffered a vascular infarction that damaged muscle in his right thigh. Doctors initially missed the problem, and the tissue damage eventually required surgery. House was left with permanent pain, a limp, and the need to use a cane.

The injury explains several defining features of the character: his reliance on Vicodin, his hostility toward doctors who dismissed his symptoms, and his determination to solve difficult cases. The show reveals the backstory gradually, including through flashbacks and conversations with Stacy Warner, House’s former partner.

This condition is not the same as bone cancer or a spinal injury. An infarction occurs when blood supply is blocked, causing tissue death. In House’s case, the affected tissue was muscle in the thigh, and the resulting disability became central to his characterization.