At present, chronic nerve and muscle diseases, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy, are characterized by a long course of disease and irreversible damage. Failure to diagnose and intervene early may lead to irreversible disability and death. Conventional imaging examination methods, such as CT, MRI and two-dimensional ultrasound, can only be observed when obvious morphological changes (such as thickening and rupture) occur in nerves or muscles. However, early diagnosis cannot be made when obvious deformation has not occurred in the early stage of lesions. As a new ultrasonographic technique, shear wave elastography has the advantages of safety, real-time, quantification and low cost, and can be used as a method for the examination and long-term follow-up of nerve and muscle tissue lesions. In this paper, the application and research progress of shear wave elastography in muscle and nerve tissue are reviewed