膝骨关节炎（KOA）是一种慢性骨关节退行性病变，严重影响患者的生活质量。近年来，以熏洗、热敷、 贴敷等形式的中药外用疗法在治疗不同中医证型 KOA 中取得较好疗效，能够缓解患者关节僵硬、疼痛和肿胀 程度，促进关节功能恢复，安全性较高。药理研究发现，中药外用能通过抑制炎症反应与软骨细胞凋亡、促进 软骨细胞增殖、调节细胞外基质的降解与合成等途径改善 KOA。该文系统总结了中药外用治疗 KOA 临床应用 及药理机制的研究进展，可为防治 KOA 提供更多参考。

Knee osteoarthritis （KOA） is a chronic degenerative joint disease that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） external therapies， such as fumigation， hot compress，and topical application，have shown promising efficacy in treating KOA of different TCM syndrome types. These therapies can alleviate joint stiffness，pain，and swelling，promote joint function recovery，and demonstrate high safety. Pharmacological studies have revealed that TCM external application improves KOA by inhibiting inflammatory responses and chondrocyte apoptosis， promoting chondrocyte proliferation， and regulating the degradation and synthesis of the extracellular matrix. This article systematically summarizes the research progress on the clinical application and pharmacological mechanisms of external application of TCM in treating KOA，aiming to provide more references for the prevention and treatment of KOA.

R274.9

广东省教育科研项目（2023GXJK097）。