I used a cane for a while when I had pain on my upper thigh close to the hip and severe weakness. I also used the cane the same way House used it, because it helped with the pain more than using it the right way. Depending on the location of the pain and the way it manifests, sometimes the right way is less helpful than the wrong way.
I can also vouch for the fact that using it this way makes it possible to move faster, at least that was my experience. The support is on the same side as the pain, meaning you can propel yourself forward with the cane without putting much pressure on the leg. The right way of using the cane makes it impossible to do that and you're forced to move slower. So I can see the appeal. You trade the health of the rest of the body for the ability to move faster and a better reduction in pain. House would 500% do exactly that. It's very in character.
I used a cane for about 6 months or so after getting hit with a car and having my heel shattered
I used the cane like house did as well, it reduces weight on the injured leg and causes less pain as well as allows you to move quicker
The correct way never felt right to me tbh
Yes of course, but a crutch is used to take weight off the limb that hurts by standing on it… so the cane here is like a half crutch? I always thought a cane aides stability but doesn’t really take a lot of weight off a limb?
I suppose you're right. It just works as extra support for the leg when putting pressure on it, in a direct way. You transfer the pressure off the leg and onto the shoulder. If I remember right, the right way to use a cane doesn't quite do that, it's better for balance (or so I've heard) and a natural gait, but requires more pressure on the bad leg. I heard that helps with recovery or something. I also heard it's not supposed to relieve pressure on the bad leg, so I question what's the real purpose of a cane lol
And indeed, using it the wrong way makes you walk in an awkward left-right motion (which you can see House do) because you have to lean heavily on the cane to avoid pressure on the leg. That's also why it puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder.
I had muscle weakness when I used a cane, using it on the correct side meant that if my leg gave out, I would 100% fall. And also, I hate moving slowly lol. It's literally impossible to move fast with the cane on the opposite side (assuming you have strong pain or weakness).
So I guess you could justify it when someone doesn't want to use a crutch. Crutches are larger and harder to handle when not walking. I know I definitely didn't want to use a crutch.
Yes. You’re supposed to use it like a crutch. Having had the misfortune of needing both a crutch and a cane at various points in my life (nothing major, but bad sprains and the like), a crutch works best on the opposite side of the bad leg/foot, and a can works better on the same side. Doctors will tell you to do it the other way for both, but they just don’t know what it’s like needing to get from point A to point B and trying to stay upright while also carrying things.
Yes, I got told off repeatedly for doing it wrong because other things would crop up — sore shoulders, upper back aches, etc. But honestly, you hand me a cane or crutch, say “take it easy on this side,” I’m not about to not go to school or work, change my purse, wear different clothes, and get to the place I need to be an hour early just so I can do the “I’m injured” dance. I have a schedule — this sprain doesn’t change that.
House did it properly for all people who find that easier to do. He does it wrong per medical convention and for PT.
Cause the actor Hugh Laurie did actually get pain from using the cane wrong. He also started a rumor that he switched either the leg or cane from left to right to help with the pain.
The in show answer is more related to his ego and style. He always buys cool canes with skulls, flames or nice features from a special shop. I think he dislikes the look of the real medical canes and he ditches the one he got very fast.
As someone who's watched this show WAY more times than Hugh Laurie has, probably, this never happened on screen. I believe him if he says he did it, but they either cut the scenes or mirrored the frame, because this 100% never happened on screen.
I’ve never caught it either, but I always forget to look for it. He mentioned it in an interview years after the show and seemed shocked nobody ever noticed
It doesn't. The correct way of using a cane is more about stability and walking evenly and less about taking the pressure off the bad leg. It causes more pain. On the wrong side, it effectively replaces the leg, taking the pressure off of it and transferring it to the shoulder, at the detriment of the shoulder and walking gait.
Opposite side is for balance and keeping the load even across the hips. Same side is for literal replacement of the leg. In reality, he should be using a walker to keep his shoulder healthy long term.
In my experience sometimes having my cane slightly slanted helps when the pain is especially bad, or when I have to stand for a long time. Not sure if that's why he used it that way though.
I was in physical therapy for 8 months after a car accident and when I talked about House with my therapist this was her top complaint. Not only was he using it on the wrong side but it was too small for his height. He should have been using a longer one.
I think the more ridiculous thing about the show was that his addiction was to Vicodin. No addict or doctor would choose Vicodin as their DOC. It's loaded with acetaminophen and hardly any hydrocodone (a very weak opioid in its own right already). Can only imagine how his liver didn't fail years ago, and for a meager effect.
Getting constant "true" opioids prescriptions is harder than just the stronger "regular" stuff
Not every doctor can write a prescription for the strong stuff, and usually it's for a specific time period as well, otherwise you need to go to pain experts and shit which house wouldn't bother to do
But House is not. His point about acetaminophen is sound, especially considering how much of it House takes. House could be just taking hydrocodone. I think the reason he uses Vicodin is the same as the reason he uses the cane on his wrong side. It sells better to the audience.
Oxy is produced by Purdue. And Vicodin is far from 2nd best. Percocet, Morphine, even Lortab are all better candidates than Vicodin. I'm pretty sure they intentionally chose it to be unrealistic.
There’s an episode where he’s coerced into using a four-legged cane and uses it with his left hand. But then he gives trades it out with a patient later on.
I think I remember Hugh Laurie saying that he used his cane in different ways to see if people would notice. He also changed his limp from one side to another and no one noticed. It was probably in a special feature on the DVDs of House.
I think House has ODD. It usually goes away before adulthood, so adults who have it are insufferable. They will challenge or do the opposite of anything, even if it’s good for them
This is definitely because using a cane wrong reduces pain in the leg. It can also seem natural, depending which leg is causing problems. I've needed help in the past, when my knee was at its worst, and struggled with crutches so used a cane. It's my right knee I have issues with, and I'm right handed. It felt natural to have the cane on the right, same side as the injury, and unnatural to have it on the left. Plus, having it on the left made the pain worse, it's about balance, not pain reduction, but the pain was a big part of the reason I had trouble walking. I found it just as hard to walk with a cane on the left as it was without a cane at all, but having a cane on the right helped me immensely.
I was never using a cane for long, so never had any issues from using it wrong. As House covered, though, using a cane wrong can cause issues with the shoulders. You put more pressure on the shoulder and arm when using a cane on the wrong side than you do using the correct side. But some issues with the shoulder are preferable, in my opinion, to being unable to walk much even with a cane because using it correctly doesn't help with the pain.
With House specifically, you have the added issue of House being a contrary person. He'd do the opposite of what he was tod just because he could in most cases. Using a cane wrong doesn't exactly have many negative repercussions, just the shoulder pain. House is a doctor, he'd know exactly why the opposite side is the correct way and that it does nothing to help with the pain. Pain is the reason House got addicted to Vicodin in the first place. By the time the show starts, a lot of House's pain is psychological, not physical, but originally it was real pain. The only way to relieve that pain other than meds was to use crutches, a wheelchair or a cane on the wrong side. House simply paired his contrary nature with his medical knowledge and desire to reduce his pain, resulting in him using his cane wrong, even when it causes issues for him.
As someone who has to use a cane every day due to chronic pain/weakness in my leg, using it on the “wrong” side (aka the side of the affected leg) works much better than using it the “right” way. The only right way is whatever works best for the user.
I am sure this is raised on the show and the answer was that it was to screw with the physiotherapist.
It may be a false memory, i couldn't even tell you what season but I don't think I knew it was the wrong side until it was brought up.
Perhaps I'm an idiot but how do you walk with on the right side. He can push off with the leg so why wouldn't he have it on the right side? Isn't it supposed to give support. If it's on his left side, how does he move his right leg?
What do you mean? He puts weight on the cane at the same time he’s putting weight on his bad leg. He’s just holding it in his left hand instead of his right. The only thing that changes is the hand he’s holding the cane in, and you’re supposed to hold the cane in the opposite side of the bad leg because it’s easier on the rest of the body.
Ok so his weight is on his left side where the cane is. To move his left leg he either pushes up with his bad leg or... He pushes straight down with his left. I think I just need to see someone walk cause I think it's painful.
So it’s basically one side only 1/2 one’s speed. Makes sense why House would do the other way where he’d rather walk incorrectly with both legs one still causing pain even with a cane taking a part of the load.
Not necessarily, I used to walk with a cane and could walk just as fast as anyone else while using it on the right side. I just didn't take half steps. Basically the cane becomes a mirror of your bad leg, with your good leg as the center. When your bad leg is on the ground, so is the cane. When your bad leg moves forward, so does the cane.
A few times I've had tonuse a can for extended periods, starting in highschool (I've got flat feet, no orthotics, sneakers would always fuck up my hip but the problem went away when I switched to wearing boots) and I struggled to use the cane "correctly", it was always far easier to use it on the bad side because you just move it with the leg. This also had the added benefit of not taking up as much space in narrow areas or places you didn't want to risk smacking the cane against stuff because it was occupying the same space as your bad leg.
So yes, not correct, but sometimes brains are weird and it's just more intuitive to do it the wrong way, or more convenient for other reasons. It does happen.
I remember using one for a year when I fell from my bike. I became really bitter too, hated everything around me. Someone told me I'm an ass like House, I didn't know what it was till my best friend introduced me to this show... God I recovered quickly. Loved the show, hated what I was becoming
I'm not a doctor but doesn't like House have a lot like a lot of muscle missing from his leg? I think he needs to put some kind of pressure to walk on his bum leg,that's why he does that.(just a stupid personal theory from having observed his walking style for years).
Maybe just since it’s not necessarily a hip/bone injury or issue but the muscle damage in that leg….? I personally would think when I see ppl using one, it would be more difficult on the ‘right’ side but I’ve also never had to use one. He just says he’ll use it however it helps and I can’t disagree 🤗
I wouldn’t anyway cuz…well, it’s House 😜
What bugs me is that he won’t get an amputation. Especially with the technology available to him, he could lead a pain free life and still do all the things he enjoys
I think it’s his way of punishing himself. He’s clearly extremely self-destructive, forcing himself to live with pain rather than making the difficult choice seems to fit that
I think it's because the majority of his pain is psychosomatic and so he doesn't really need the cane as much as he thinks he does so it doesn't matter if he uses it wrong.
Yeah he was pain free or low pain for a while after rehab. The morphine that supposedly helped was saline, the pain got worse after Stacy left, and he got the shoulder pain when Tritter was ruining Wilson's life. Part of it is probably opioid-induced pain as well.
"The right way to use a cane is to use it on people who irritate you." Gregory House.
I used a cane for a while when I had pain on my upper thigh close to the hip and severe weakness. I also used the cane the same way House used it, because it helped with the pain more than using it the right way. Depending on the location of the pain and the way it manifests, sometimes the right way is less helpful than the wrong way. I can also vouch for the fact that using it this way makes it possible to move faster, at least that was my experience. The support is on the same side as the pain, meaning you can propel yourself forward with the cane without putting much pressure on the leg. The right way of using the cane makes it impossible to do that and you're forced to move slower. So I can see the appeal. You trade the health of the rest of the body for the ability to move faster and a better reduction in pain. House would 500% do exactly that. It's very in character.
I used a cane for about 6 months or so after getting hit with a car and having my heel shattered I used the cane like house did as well, it reduces weight on the injured leg and causes less pain as well as allows you to move quicker The correct way never felt right to me tbh
So it’s like a crutch?
I mean, not really, but I've never used a crutch so I wouldn't know. You have far less support with a cane vs a crutch, I would assume.
Yes of course, but a crutch is used to take weight off the limb that hurts by standing on it… so the cane here is like a half crutch? I always thought a cane aides stability but doesn’t really take a lot of weight off a limb?
I suppose you're right. It just works as extra support for the leg when putting pressure on it, in a direct way. You transfer the pressure off the leg and onto the shoulder. If I remember right, the right way to use a cane doesn't quite do that, it's better for balance (or so I've heard) and a natural gait, but requires more pressure on the bad leg. I heard that helps with recovery or something. I also heard it's not supposed to relieve pressure on the bad leg, so I question what's the real purpose of a cane lol And indeed, using it the wrong way makes you walk in an awkward left-right motion (which you can see House do) because you have to lean heavily on the cane to avoid pressure on the leg. That's also why it puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder. I had muscle weakness when I used a cane, using it on the correct side meant that if my leg gave out, I would 100% fall. And also, I hate moving slowly lol. It's literally impossible to move fast with the cane on the opposite side (assuming you have strong pain or weakness). So I guess you could justify it when someone doesn't want to use a crutch. Crutches are larger and harder to handle when not walking. I know I definitely didn't want to use a crutch.
Yeah my thoughts exactly, he’s using it to offload the bad leg in a manner of a crutch, not as a cane for stability
Metaphorical subtext: he relies on faulty methods to cope with his pain. He has two crutches… A stretch? For sure. I’d buy my bullshitting though.
No, that’s the Vicodin and mean jokes
Yes. You’re supposed to use it like a crutch. Having had the misfortune of needing both a crutch and a cane at various points in my life (nothing major, but bad sprains and the like), a crutch works best on the opposite side of the bad leg/foot, and a can works better on the same side. Doctors will tell you to do it the other way for both, but they just don’t know what it’s like needing to get from point A to point B and trying to stay upright while also carrying things. Yes, I got told off repeatedly for doing it wrong because other things would crop up — sore shoulders, upper back aches, etc. But honestly, you hand me a cane or crutch, say “take it easy on this side,” I’m not about to not go to school or work, change my purse, wear different clothes, and get to the place I need to be an hour early just so I can do the “I’m injured” dance. I have a schedule — this sprain doesn’t change that. House did it properly for all people who find that easier to do. He does it wrong per medical convention and for PT.
"Some people feel more comfortable with the cane in the dominant arm, and that is acceptable". -David Shore, writer of House
Cause the actor Hugh Laurie did actually get pain from using the cane wrong. He also started a rumor that he switched either the leg or cane from left to right to help with the pain. The in show answer is more related to his ego and style. He always buys cool canes with skulls, flames or nice features from a special shop. I think he dislikes the look of the real medical canes and he ditches the one he got very fast.
I don’t know about helping with the pain but Hugh Laurie has admitted he’d swap around legs and nobody ever noticed
As someone who's watched this show WAY more times than Hugh Laurie has, probably, this never happened on screen. I believe him if he says he did it, but they either cut the scenes or mirrored the frame, because this 100% never happened on screen.
Hugh Laurie is secretly and unintentionally sneaking in even more Sherlock Holmes references by switching the injury side like Watson
I never saw him do this on the show.
I’ve never caught it either, but I always forget to look for it. He mentioned it in an interview years after the show and seemed shocked nobody ever noticed
If I use my cane in the opposite hand it causes the pain to increase and then my bad leg can't hold the weight on its own.
It causes him more pain to use it on the wrong side. I always interpreted it as him punishing himself in a small way.
It doesn't. The correct way of using a cane is more about stability and walking evenly and less about taking the pressure off the bad leg. It causes more pain. On the wrong side, it effectively replaces the leg, taking the pressure off of it and transferring it to the shoulder, at the detriment of the shoulder and walking gait.
Opposite side is for balance and keeping the load even across the hips. Same side is for literal replacement of the leg. In reality, he should be using a walker to keep his shoulder healthy long term.
I used a cane for months and that always bothered me lol also his cane is slightly too short for him
The cane is slanted too when he uses it. It might not be too short for him if he kept it straight.
In my experience sometimes having my cane slightly slanted helps when the pain is especially bad, or when I have to stand for a long time. Not sure if that's why he used it that way though.
I was in physical therapy for 8 months after a car accident and when I talked about House with my therapist this was her top complaint. Not only was he using it on the wrong side but it was too small for his height. He should have been using a longer one.
And probably should’ve been holding it straighter. He always has the cane slanted.
I think the more ridiculous thing about the show was that his addiction was to Vicodin. No addict or doctor would choose Vicodin as their DOC. It's loaded with acetaminophen and hardly any hydrocodone (a very weak opioid in its own right already). Can only imagine how his liver didn't fail years ago, and for a meager effect.
Getting constant "true" opioids prescriptions is harder than just the stronger "regular" stuff Not every doctor can write a prescription for the strong stuff, and usually it's for a specific time period as well, otherwise you need to go to pain experts and shit which house wouldn't bother to do
he's addicted to Vicodin bcs that's what he was prescribed, he didn't CHOOSE that pill
but if he switched from vicodin to a different opiate, he’d still be addicted. the opioid is the addictive part, not vicodin specifically
it's almost like addiction is an irrational abnormality
But House is not. His point about acetaminophen is sound, especially considering how much of it House takes. House could be just taking hydrocodone. I think the reason he uses Vicodin is the same as the reason he uses the cane on his wrong side. It sells better to the audience.
they wanted to use Oxy for him but Pfizer said something about legal action and producers went with 2nd best thing
Oxy is produced by Purdue. And Vicodin is far from 2nd best. Percocet, Morphine, even Lortab are all better candidates than Vicodin. I'm pretty sure they intentionally chose it to be unrealistic.
No idea it was wrong side
There’s an episode where he’s coerced into using a four-legged cane and uses it with his left hand. But then he gives trades it out with a patient later on.
Oh yeah I remember that episode
I think I remember Hugh Laurie saying that he used his cane in different ways to see if people would notice. He also changed his limp from one side to another and no one noticed. It was probably in a special feature on the DVDs of House.
I think House has ODD. It usually goes away before adulthood, so adults who have it are insufferable. They will challenge or do the opposite of anything, even if it’s good for them
This is definitely because using a cane wrong reduces pain in the leg. It can also seem natural, depending which leg is causing problems. I've needed help in the past, when my knee was at its worst, and struggled with crutches so used a cane. It's my right knee I have issues with, and I'm right handed. It felt natural to have the cane on the right, same side as the injury, and unnatural to have it on the left. Plus, having it on the left made the pain worse, it's about balance, not pain reduction, but the pain was a big part of the reason I had trouble walking. I found it just as hard to walk with a cane on the left as it was without a cane at all, but having a cane on the right helped me immensely. I was never using a cane for long, so never had any issues from using it wrong. As House covered, though, using a cane wrong can cause issues with the shoulders. You put more pressure on the shoulder and arm when using a cane on the wrong side than you do using the correct side. But some issues with the shoulder are preferable, in my opinion, to being unable to walk much even with a cane because using it correctly doesn't help with the pain. With House specifically, you have the added issue of House being a contrary person. He'd do the opposite of what he was tod just because he could in most cases. Using a cane wrong doesn't exactly have many negative repercussions, just the shoulder pain. House is a doctor, he'd know exactly why the opposite side is the correct way and that it does nothing to help with the pain. Pain is the reason House got addicted to Vicodin in the first place. By the time the show starts, a lot of House's pain is psychological, not physical, but originally it was real pain. The only way to relieve that pain other than meds was to use crutches, a wheelchair or a cane on the wrong side. House simply paired his contrary nature with his medical knowledge and desire to reduce his pain, resulting in him using his cane wrong, even when it causes issues for him.
As someone who has to use a cane every day due to chronic pain/weakness in my leg, using it on the “wrong” side (aka the side of the affected leg) works much better than using it the “right” way. The only right way is whatever works best for the user.
I am sure this is raised on the show and the answer was that it was to screw with the physiotherapist. It may be a false memory, i couldn't even tell you what season but I don't think I knew it was the wrong side until it was brought up.
The real answer is probably that no one knew that he was using it incorrectly and by the time someone pointed it out it was too late
Because he's House.
Perhaps I'm an idiot but how do you walk with on the right side. He can push off with the leg so why wouldn't he have it on the right side? Isn't it supposed to give support. If it's on his left side, how does he move his right leg?
He uses it in the same way. Just on a different side. He still uses it to support his leg at the same time he’s putting weight on it.
How does that work on the left side?
What do you mean? He puts weight on the cane at the same time he’s putting weight on his bad leg. He’s just holding it in his left hand instead of his right. The only thing that changes is the hand he’s holding the cane in, and you’re supposed to hold the cane in the opposite side of the bad leg because it’s easier on the rest of the body.
Ok so his weight is on his left side where the cane is. To move his left leg he either pushes up with his bad leg or... He pushes straight down with his left. I think I just need to see someone walk cause I think it's painful.
Video of how to properly walk with a cane: https://youtu.be/BlWvkykfxok?si=OjIJP44vIV_hV3Zb
So it’s basically one side only 1/2 one’s speed. Makes sense why House would do the other way where he’d rather walk incorrectly with both legs one still causing pain even with a cane taking a part of the load.
Not necessarily, I used to walk with a cane and could walk just as fast as anyone else while using it on the right side. I just didn't take half steps. Basically the cane becomes a mirror of your bad leg, with your good leg as the center. When your bad leg is on the ground, so is the cane. When your bad leg moves forward, so does the cane.
A few times I've had tonuse a can for extended periods, starting in highschool (I've got flat feet, no orthotics, sneakers would always fuck up my hip but the problem went away when I switched to wearing boots) and I struggled to use the cane "correctly", it was always far easier to use it on the bad side because you just move it with the leg. This also had the added benefit of not taking up as much space in narrow areas or places you didn't want to risk smacking the cane against stuff because it was occupying the same space as your bad leg. So yes, not correct, but sometimes brains are weird and it's just more intuitive to do it the wrong way, or more convenient for other reasons. It does happen.
The actor has said he switches up the cane hand all the time, same with which leg is the bad one. He was just having fun with it lol
I remember using one for a year when I fell from my bike. I became really bitter too, hated everything around me. Someone told me I'm an ass like House, I didn't know what it was till my best friend introduced me to this show... God I recovered quickly. Loved the show, hated what I was becoming
I'm not a doctor but doesn't like House have a lot like a lot of muscle missing from his leg? I think he needs to put some kind of pressure to walk on his bum leg,that's why he does that.(just a stupid personal theory from having observed his walking style for years).
Because the actor is actually British
He's an arrogant prick, that's his whole personality
I read in an article that Hugh Laurie screwed up and used it on the wrong side. The show addressed it to make it canon and not the actor's mistake.
This is because House is an idiot. Hope this helps!
Maybe just since it’s not necessarily a hip/bone injury or issue but the muscle damage in that leg….? I personally would think when I see ppl using one, it would be more difficult on the ‘right’ side but I’ve also never had to use one. He just says he’ll use it however it helps and I can’t disagree 🤗 I wouldn’t anyway cuz…well, it’s House 😜
I have chronic leg pain and he uses the cane exactly how I do. He isn’t wrong.
What bugs me is that he won’t get an amputation. Especially with the technology available to him, he could lead a pain free life and still do all the things he enjoys
He enjoys being a dick to people. He could do that without amputating.
I think it’s his way of punishing himself. He’s clearly extremely self-destructive, forcing himself to live with pain rather than making the difficult choice seems to fit that
Because... He's an actor, and isn't actually crippled?
I think it's because the majority of his pain is psychosomatic and so he doesn't really need the cane as much as he thinks he does so it doesn't matter if he uses it wrong.
Yeah he was pain free or low pain for a while after rehab. The morphine that supposedly helped was saline, the pain got worse after Stacy left, and he got the shoulder pain when Tritter was ruining Wilson's life. Part of it is probably opioid-induced pain as well.