Abstract：Objective：To observe the curative effect of Xiaotong plaster combined with meloxicam tablets for rheumatoid arthritis with cold- dampness obstruction syndrome in active stage. Methods： A total of 104 cases of patients with rheumatoid arthritis with cold-dampness obstruction syndrome in active stage were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group，52 cases in each group. The control group was given the oral administration of meloxicam tablets and the external application of diclofenac diethylamine emulgel. The observation group was given the oral administration of meloxicam tablets and the external application of Xiaotong plaster. Both groups were given nursing measures，such as mental nursing，guidance of diet，lifestyle and activity，and medication nursing. Both groups were treated for two weeks. Before and after treatment， the scores of subjective pain， joint tenderness， swelling degree， joint motion， and joint stiffness were evaluated；Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints Index(DAS28) and the scores of Health Assessment Questionnaire(HAQ) were evaluated. The incidence of the skin irritative response during treatment was observed. The response rates of American College of Rheumatology 20%(ACR20) response rate and ACR50 response rate were evaluated. Results：After two-week treatment，ACR20 response rate was 57.69% in the observation group，higher than that of 30.54% in the control group，the difference being significant(P＜0.05)； ACR50 response rate was 38.46% in the observation group， higher than that of 17.31% in the control group，the difference being significant(P＜0.05). In the two groups，the scores of subjective pain，joint tenderness，swelling degree，joint motion，and joint stiffness were decreased when compared with those before treatment (P＜0.01)；the scores of the main symptoms and signs above in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(P＜0.01). In the two groups，the scores of HAQ and DAS28 Index were decreased when compared with those before treatment(P＜0.01)；the score and the index in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(P＜0.01). When compared the incidence of the skin irritative response between the two groups， there was no significance in the difference(P＞0.05). Conclusion： Based on the oral administration of meloxicam tablets， the additional application of Xiaotong plaster can relieve clinical symptoms and signs， control the disease activity， and improve dysfunction in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with cold-dampness obstruction syndrome in active stage.