Objective To analyze the value of magnetic resonance diffuse tensor imaging (DTI) technique in evaluation of benign and malignant lesions and their ranges, so as to provide the basis for clinical application. Methods From January 2014 to January 2016, 28 patients with benign bone lesions of the limbs and 28 patients with malignant bone lesions of the limbs were treated in Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southwest Medical University. Different MRI coils were used to inspect different axial, coronal and sagittal positions of the lesions, and the single echo planar presentation technique was applied to check on axial position. The differences among the central areas and marginal areas of the lesions and the surrounding normal tissues were analyzed. Results Iso and ADC in the central and marginal regions of the lesions in the benign group were significantly higher than those in the malignant group (P < 0.05). FA and VrA values in the marginal zones of the benign lesions were significantly lower than those of the malignant lesions (P < 0.05), FA value in the central and marginal areas of the benign lesions was lower than that of the normal tissues (P < 0.05), while Iso and ADC in the central and marginal areas of the benign lesions were higher than those of the normal tissues (P < 0.05). FA and ADC in the central and marginal areas of the malignant lesions were lower than those of the normal tissues (P < 0.05), while Iso in the central and marginal areas of the malignant lesions was higher than that in the normal tissues (P < 0.05). The AUC value of magnetic resonance DTI technique in diagnosis of musculoskeletal benign and malignant lesions and their invasive ranges was 0.89. Conclusions Both benign and malignant lesions may be different from normal tissues, so magnetic resonance DTI technique has high clinical value in evaluation of benign and malignant lesions of musculoskeletal system and their infiltration ranges.