Objective To explore the clinical effect of locking plate in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures (PHF). Methods Sixty patients with PHF admitted to our hospital from May 2019 to March 2022 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into control group and application group by random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was treated with routine surgery, and the application group was treated with locking plate. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization time, clinical efficacy, pain degree and complications were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and hospitalization time of the application group were better than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The total effective rate of treatment in the application group was 93.33%, which was higher than 76.67% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The VAS scores of the application group at 1, 3 and 6 months after operation were lower than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of complications in the application group was 6.67%, which was lower than 20.00% in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Locking plate therapy is effective in patients with PHF, which can effectively shorten the duration of operation and hospital stay, reduce intraoperative blood loss, and effectively improve the pain status of patients, with low risk of complications and high safety