Objective:To evaluate the clinical outcomes of TCM external treatment for atlantoaxial osteoarthritis.Methods:36 Atlantoaxial osteoarthritis patients were divided into a treatment group(18 cases) and a control group(18 cases).Patients in the treatment group were given oral western medicine and external treatment of TCM,including external medicine and osteopathtic manipulation;while those in the control group were given only oral western medicine treatment.All the patients were assessed with visual analogous scale(VAS) before and after treatment.Results:The pain of all patients was decreased after treatment.The VAS score in both groups were reduced after treatment and the difference was significant as compared with that before treatment(P