What medical condition does Gregory House suffer after an infarction in House M.D.?

Gregory House suffers chronic leg pain after an infarction in House M.D.

Before the series begins, House experiences an infarction in the quadriceps muscle of his right leg. The resulting muscle damage leaves him with persistent pain and an altered gait. He uses a cane and takes Vicodin, an opioid pain medication, to manage the condition. His pain and dependence on medication are major parts of the character’s medical and emotional history.

The infarction was initially misdiagnosed, and House later becomes intensely concerned with the consequences of the delayed treatment. The backstory explains both his physical disability and his hostility toward doctors who overlook important evidence.

House’s leg problem is sometimes described casually as a “bad leg,” but the canonical condition is chronic pain resulting from muscle infarction. It is not primarily a spinal injury, paralysis, or hearing disorder. The condition also contributes to the show’s recurring visual motif of House walking with a cane.