Which muscle was damaged in Gregory House’s leg injury in House M.D.?

Gregory House's leg injury damaged his quadriceps muscle in House M.D.

The series explains that House suffered an infarction in the quadriceps muscle of his right leg. The resulting muscle damage caused chronic pain and left him with a limp, leading to his characteristic use of a cane and reliance on pain medication. The injury occurred before the main events of the series.

House's physical disability is not merely a visual character trait. It affects his mood, mobility, relationships, and dependence on Vicodin. Several storylines revisit the injury and question whether House could manage his pain without medication or whether surgical treatment might improve his condition.

The condition is often described loosely as a leg injury, but the more specific canonical detail is the quadriceps infarction. It is also distinct from a broken bone or a routine muscle strain. That specificity makes “quadriceps muscle” the precise answer for the injury's location.