Objective：To investigate the clinical effect and value of knee arthroscopic debridement combined with traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） hot compress in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis（KOA）. Methods：A total of 68 KOA patients who were admitted to our hospital from February 2017 to March 2018 were enrolled and randomly divided into control group and experimental group，with 34 patients in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with knee arthroscopic debridement，and those in the experimental group were treated with knee arthroscopic debridement combined with TCM hot compress. The two groups were observed in terms of pain relief，joint function，and quality of life. Results：Compared with the control group at 2 and 4 weeks and 3 and 6 months after treatment，the experimental group had a significantly lower Visual Analogue Scale score and a significantly higher Lysholm knee joint function score（P<0.05）. The experimental group had a significantly higher overall response rate than the control group（94.12% vs. 76.47%，P<0.05）. After treatment，the experimental group had a significantly higher total score of 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey than the control group（70.45±7.82 vs. 52.76±7.63，P<0.05）. Conclusion：In patients with KOA，knee arthro－scopic debridement combined with TCM hot compress can effectively alleviate pain and improve knee joint function，quality of life，and treatment outcome.
