We investigated the efficacy of joint lavage to alter the progression of the disease process in a rabbit model of knee OA in varying stages of the disease. Thirty-three white rabbits were operated to induce OA, and then the rabbits were divided into three groups (10 in each) randomly. In group 1, on week 1 after the operation, joint lavage was performed on both knees in five rabbits as treatment group, and the other five rabbits were used as control group received no intervention. By the end of week 2 after operation, the rabbits were sacrificed. In group 2, five received joint lavage on week 2, and all were sacrificed on week 3. In group3, five received joint lavage on week 3, and all were sacrificed on week 4. In each group, histological evaluation showed that both the breakdown of articular cartilage and the inflammation of synovium were less in the knees treated with joint lavage than that in the control knees. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that the expression of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in synovial fluid decreased significantly in the treatment group. Our findings suggested that joint lavage was beneficial for OA at different phases of OA in rabbit models. Joint lavage may be a beneficial method for the treatment of OA clinically.