Objective To promote knee joint function after total knee arthroplasty （TKA）. Methods Sixty-six patients with knee os-teoarthritis were randomized into two groups of 33.The control group were given routine postoperative nursing care, while the intervention group additionally received salt hot-ironing.The effect was evaluated after 8 weeks of intervention. Results The intervention group had significantly milder pain intensity and swelling, higher American Knee Society (AKS) score, and lower values of C-reactive protein at postoperative day 3 and week 1 compared with the control group （P＜0.01 for all）.No blisters, burns and scalds occurred in the intervention group during the intervention. Conclusion Conventional nursing with an addition of salt hot-iro-ning could ameliorate pain and swelling, and promote the recovery of knee joint function in TKA patients.