What injury caused House’s chronic leg pain in House M.D.?

A quadriceps muscle infarction caused House’s chronic leg pain in House M.D. The infarction damaged muscle tissue in his thigh after blood flow was blocked, leaving him with lasting pain and impaired movement.

House initially received treatment that included bypass surgery, but complications and decisions made during the crisis contributed to permanent damage. He ultimately chose a procedure that preserved his leg while sacrificing damaged muscle, producing the limp central to his appearance.

The condition is not the same as a typical heart attack, although both involve loss of blood supply to tissue. A muscle infarction can cause severe pain and tissue death, and the show uses House’s case to explain why he relies on a cane and prescription pain medication.

The backstory is revealed progressively rather than in chronological order. Different episodes revisit the infarction, House’s choices, and his addiction, so viewers sometimes remember the cane without recalling the specific medical cause.