Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative and intractable disease with high morbidity. Animal modelsof KOA provide an effective tool for studying the disease pathogenesis, potential treatments and their mechanism of action.A variety of animal models currently exist for studies of KOA, each with its own characteristics and advantages. In additionto the author’s own research on animal models of this disease, this article reviews the literature on method ologies forestablishing animal models of KOA. This article explores the selection criteria and method of preparing experimental KOAanimal models, in order to provide an effective reference for researchers who wish to apply these models to their own work.