What injury caused Dr. House’s chronic limp in House M.D.?

Dr. House’s chronic limp was caused by an infarction in his right quadriceps muscle.

In the series backstory, House suffered a vascular problem that cut off blood supply to the quadriceps. The muscle tissue died, and surgeons removed the damaged tissue. The resulting loss of muscle function left him with permanent pain and a pronounced limp.

House chose a radical treatment path after rejecting an amputation and later relied on a cane and Vicodin to manage the pain. The injury is not presented as an ordinary broken bone or a simple tendon tear. Its effects explain both his mobility problems and his long-running dependence on opioid medication.

The show gradually reveals the history through flashbacks and conversations, so viewers may initially know only that House has a painful leg injury. The precise medical term is an infarction, meaning tissue death caused by inadequate blood flow. In House’s case, the affected tissue was the quadriceps muscle.