Objective：To observe the clinical effect of Tuina therapy for knee joint osteoarthritis based on the theory of substituting bones for tendons on degrees of pain of patients and their functional activities.Methods：Divided 72 patients with knee joint osteoarthritis into two groups randomly according to random number table，36 cases in each group.The observation group received Tuina therapy under the instruction of the theory of substituting bones for tendons，while the control group received meloxicam tablets for treatment.Course of treatment for both groups lasted for two weeks.Observed scores of visual analogue scale(VAS)and Lysholm knee function rating scale before and after treatment，and evaluated the clinical effect.Results： The total effective rate was 91.67% in the observation group and was 80.56% in the control group，difference being significant(P＜0.05).The scores of VAS in both groups were decreased when compared with those before treatment， while the scores of Lysholm in both groups were increased when compared with those before treatment，differences being significant(P＜0.05).The improvements of scores of VAS and Lysholm in the observation group were better than those in the control group in the comparison between the two groups，differences being significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion：The therapy of Tuina based on the theory of substituting bones for tendons has a significant clinical effect in treating knee joint osteoarthritis，relieve pain symptoms of patients，and improve joint function of patient.