Objective To observe effectiveness of Chinese herbal fumigation therapy combined with six-step knee-release massage on patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods 80 cases with knee osteoarthritis were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 40 in each. The treatment group was given Chinese herbal fumigation therapy combined with six-step knee-release massage, while the control group was treated only by six-step knee-release massage. 20 days of treatment was considered as 1 course, after which major symptoms and signs were observed and X-ray examination was applied to determine the curative effect. Results① As for clinical effectiveness, the total effective rate was 92.5%in the treatment group and 70%in the control group. There was statistical difference between two groups(χ2=11.087, P<0.01). ② HSS scores showed that , except quadriceps strength(t=2.082, P>0.05),there was statistical difference in terms of pain, functionality, motion, fixed deformity, stability, subtractions and total score between two groups(t values were 8.081, 10.977, 3.846, 9.450, 9.611, 9.450, 15.984 respectively, P<0.01). Conclusion Chinese herbal fumigation therapy combined with six-step knee-release massage could effectively relieve clinical symptoms like joint pain, morning stiffness and inflexibility. It is worth popularizing in clinical treatment of knee osteoarthritis.