ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of arthroscopic microfracture surgery combined with oral glucosamine hydrochloride in the treatment of early knee osteoarthritis. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 172 patients with knee osteoarthritis treated between March 2007 and August 2013. The patients were divided into observation group (n=82) and control group (n=90) according to their treatment. Patients in the control group only underwent arthroscopic debridement and cartilage defect microfracture surgery, while those in the observation group underwent arthroscopic microfracture surgery combined with oral glucosamine hydrochloride. The Lysholm knee functional scores, the Lequesne index and X ray image were used to compare the clinical efficacy between the two groups. ResultsThe postoperative symptoms of both the two groups were significantly alleviated. The Lequesne index was not significantly different between the two groups before surgery, and 1 and 3 months after surgery (P>0.05), but it was significantly difference between the two groups 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after surgery (P<0.05). Before surgery, the Lysholm score was not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05), and the score increased significantly after surgery in both the two groups (P<0.05). One and 3 months after surgery, the Lysholm score was not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05), but it was significantly higher in the observation group 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after surgery. ConclusionArthroscopic microfracture surgery combined with oral glucosamine hydrochloride is effective in treating patients with early knee osteoarthritis, and the clinical efficacy becomes more significant with the time of treatment.