Which muscle infarction caused Gregory House's leg injury in House?

Gregory House suffered an infarction in his right quadriceps muscle.

The infarction cut off blood supply to part of the muscle, causing severe tissue damage. House initially experienced pain and later underwent surgery, but the damage left him with chronic pain and a limp. He uses a cane and relies on pain medication, especially Vicodin, throughout much of the series.

The injury is a major part of House's characterization. It explains his physical limitations, contributes to his dependence on medication, and becomes a continuing source of conflict with patients, colleagues, and hospital administrators. The show gradually reveals more about the event and its emotional consequences rather than presenting it only as background information.

A common mix-up is to describe the injury simply as a leg infarction or to identify the wrong muscle. The specific muscle is the right quadriceps, located at the front of the thigh. The injury is fictional and belongs to the show's backstory, not to Hugh Laurie's real medical history.