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

A quadriceps muscle infarction caused Gregory House’s chronic limp in House M.D.

House suffered the infarction after a blood clot blocked circulation to part of his quadriceps muscle. The resulting tissue damage caused severe pain and permanent impairment in his right leg. The event is central to House’s backstory and explains his cane use and characteristic limp.

House initially underwent treatment that removed dead muscle tissue, but the procedure left lasting damage. He later relies on pain medication, especially Vicodin, to manage chronic pain. His dependence on the drug becomes a major storyline rather than a minor character detail.

The injury is explored most directly in the first-season episode “Three Stories,” which presents several cases during a medical lecture before revealing the connection to House. It is not described as a simple broken bone or tendon tear: the defining medical event is an infarction of the quadriceps muscle.