Objective: To investigate the early diagnosis and treatment method of popliteal artery injury so as to improve the limb salvage rate. Methods: The clinical data of 168 patients with popliteal artery injury treated in our hospital during January 2000 to December 2010 were retrospectively studied. Of the patients, 27 cases (16.1%) were penetrating injury, and 141 (83.9%) were blunt injury. The associated comorbidities included shock in 24 cases (14.3%), fracture/dislocation in 125 (74.4%), nerve injury in 81 (48.2%) and venous injury in 66 cases (39.3%), respectively. The outcomes of different mechanisms of injury and surgical or non-surgical treatment were compared, and the causes of disability and their relations with the comorbidities were analyzed. Results: The distal circulation was completely restored in 68 cases (40.5%), partially improved in 59 cases (35.1%), and the complete recovery rate of the patients who underwent surgical treatment (43.4%) was significantly higher than that of the patients who underwent non-surgical treatment (12.5%) (P＜0.05). Amputation was performed in 41 cases (24.4%). The amputation rate of the patients with blunt injury (28.4%) was significantly higher than that of patients with penetrating injury (3.7%) (P＜0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference between the patients who underwent surgical treatment (25.0%) or non-surgical treatment (18.8%). The amputation rate of patients with shock (41.7%) or with venous injury (33.3%) was significantly higher than that of the patients without shock (21.5%) or without venous injury (18.6%), respectively (both P＜0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference between the patients with fracture/dislocation or with nerve injury and the patients without fracture/dislocation or without nerve injury, respectively (both P＞0.05). Conclusions: The duration from injury to surgery is a main factor for prognosis, and the related comorbidities are main causes of disability. Early diagnosis, radical debridement, appropriate repair methods and favorable wound surface coverage are effective ways to limb salvage and avoidance of disability.