What injury caused Dr. House to use a cane in House M.D.?

Dr. House uses a cane because an infarction damaged the quadriceps muscle in his right thigh. The injury caused severe, lasting impairment and chronic pain.

In the show’s backstory, House initially experienced the muscle infarction as a medical crisis. The damaged tissue was not removed promptly, and the resulting injury left him with weakness and difficulty walking. He eventually underwent surgery that removed the dead muscle, but the treatment could not restore normal function.

House’s cane is therefore not explained by a broken leg or a conventional sports injury. It is a visible consequence of muscle ischemia, meaning inadequate blood supply to tissue. The pain also contributes to his dependence on the opioid painkiller Vicodin.

The details of the injury are revealed gradually rather than in the pilot episode. Different flashbacks and conversations add context, which is why viewers sometimes remember the event as a generic leg injury rather than a quadriceps infarction.