What fictional diagnosis causes Gregory House’s chronic leg pain in House M.D.?

In House M.D., Gregory House’s chronic leg pain is caused by a quadriceps muscle infarction, a loss of blood supply that damages muscle tissue.

House suffers the infarction in his right thigh before the series begins. Doctors initially consider amputation, but House chooses a bypass procedure and later undergoes a painful recovery. The damaged muscle leaves him with permanent pain and a pronounced limp, which is why he uses a cane.

The condition is easy to confuse with a conventional leg injury. House did not simply tear a muscle or break his leg; the key event was ischemic muscle damage. His dependence on Vicodin is also connected to this pain, and the show repeatedly explores how pain, addiction, and his medical brilliance affect his decisions and relationships.