Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease mainly present with cartilage degeneration. It is common in elderly patients and at the end course severe joint deformities may occur, causing great psychological and physical pain to the patient. High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a safe and reliable surgical method for the treatment of single compartment knee osteoarthritis. It has been widely accepted by doctors and patients, especially among young patients. The mainpurpose of this technique is to modify the lower limb deformities in order to delay or eliminate the degenerative changes of medial compartment osteoarthritis. HTO has been considered to be a simple technology, less surgical trauma, accurate deformity correction, rapid postoperative recovery and so on. Over years, with the continuous innovation of surgical techniques and the continuous improvements of internal fixation, the indications for HTO have been extended. At present, it is generally believed that HTO is an ideal surgical method and can obtain good and long-term clinical results. This article reviews recent preoperative selection, surgical methods, postoperative efficacy, postoperative complications and long-term postoperative efficacy of high tibial osteotomy for single-compartment osteoarthritis.