Why does a swollen lymph node hurt

You have lymph nodes throughout your body—they’re in your neck, armpits, chest, belly and groin area. Sometimes they get swollen. You might notice a lump when they do, and the site might feel sore or tender.

Table of Contents Show

How can you prevent swollen lymph nodes?
How can you treat tender lymph nodes?
When should you be concerned about swollen lymph nodes?
The bottom line
Other useful articles:
Symptoms of Swollen Lymph Nodes
Causes of Swollen Lymph Nodes
When to See a Doctor for Swollen Lymph Nodes
Swollen Lymph Nodes Diagnosis
Swollen Lymph Node Treatment and Home Remedies
Should a swollen lymph node be painful?
How do you make a swollen lymph node stop hurting?
How long do painful swollen lymph nodes last?

Most of the time, a swollen lymph node means your lymphatic system is doing its job. It’s trapping viruses, bacteria and pathogens and signaling your body to make white blood cells that can help you fight infections. “Rather than being something scary, most enlarged lymph nodes are a sign of a healthy immune system,” said Rebecca Moran, MD, a family medicine specialist at Banner Health Clinic in Phoenix.

When you have swollen lymph nodes, you’ll probably notice other symptoms from whatever is causing them, such as fatigue, fever, sore throat, runny nose or other signs of infection.

It’s typically things like cold viruses, strep throat, mononucleosis or skin infections that cause swollen lymph nodes. But there can be other causes, too:

Autoimmune disorders such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Some vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, which can cause temporary lymph node swelling when your body makes antibodies against future infection. (In fact, women should consider postponing routine mammograms for four to six weeks after getting a COVID-19 vaccine, since swollen lymph nodes in the armpit could look like an abnormality.)
Rarely, cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia or other cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes.

How can you prevent swollen lymph nodes?

You can’t stop a lymph node from swelling as it fights off infections and other things that don’t belong in the body. “That is what they are designed to do, and we want them to do it,” Dr. Moran said.

You can try to prevent the infections that lead to swollen lymph nodes by washing your hands, disinfecting surfaces, avoiding touching your nose and eyes and staying away from people with contagious infections. You can also help keep yourself healthy by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy diet and avoiding tobacco products.

How can you treat tender lymph nodes?

Tender lymph nodes will feel better when the underlying infection clears. If you have a bacterial infection, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. A viral infection needs to run its course. In the meantime, you can apply warm compresses to your tender lymph nodes and take pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

If an autoimmune disorder or cancer is causing your tender lymph nodes, your health care provider can provide treatments for those conditions.

When should you be concerned about swollen lymph nodes?

You don’t need to worry about your swollen lymph nodes most of the time. But you should talk to your health care provider if your swollen glands:

Feel hard and don’t move around easily when you press on them
Grow bigger than one centimeter (or the size of a large pea)
Don’t shrink within a month
Appear without any apparent reason
Are located throughout the body rather than in one area
Appear along with unexplained weight loss, persistent fevers or night sweats
Develop just above your collarbone or in your armpit, especially if there’s no explanation for them
Grow large quickly and become painful and red, which could mean they are infected

The bottom line

Swollen lymph nodes are a sign your body is fighting off infection, like it is supposed to do. But sometimes, they can signal a more serious problem. If you would like to talk to a health care provider who can help evaluate your lymph nodes, reach out to Banner Health.

Symptoms of Swollen Lymph Nodes

The most common signs are:

Tenderness or pain in your lymph nodes
Swelling that makes your lymph nodes the size of a kidney bean or possibly larger

Because swollen lymph nodes are usually linked to some type of illness, you might also have other symptoms, depending on what that illness is:

Runny nose, sore throat, or fever (caused by an upper respiratory infection)
Swelling of clusters of lymph nodes in different places in your body (caused by an infection or an immune system disorder, like rheumatoid arthritis)
Hard lymph nodes that won’t move or get bigger quickly (signs of certain types of cancer)

Causes of Swollen Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes have immune cells called lymphocytes in them. They attack bacteria, viruses, and other things that can make you sick. When you're fighting off harmful germs, your body makes more of those immune cells -- that causes the swelling.

Your lymph nodes come across all kinds of germs, so they can be swollen for lots of reasons. Usually, it's something that's relatively easy to treat, like:

A virus, like a cold
A bacterial infection, like an ear infection, skin infection, or infected tooth

Much less often, it can be a more serious illness. They can include:

Tuberculosis, an infection that usually affects your lungs
Lyme disease, an infection spread through a tick bite
A problem with your immune system, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
HIV/AIDS, an infection spread through sexual contact and IV drug use
Certain kinds of cancer, including:
- Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system
- Leukemia, a cancer of the blood

When to See a Doctor for Swollen Lymph Nodes

In most cases, swollen glands return to normal size after the illness or infection has passed. But here are some things to watch for:

Glands that swelled up very suddenly
Glands that are much larger than they should be, not just mildly swollen
Glands that feel hard or don't move when you push on them
Glands that stay swollen for more than 5 days in children or 2 to 4 weeks in adults
The area around the glands turns red or purple, it feels warm or you see pus
Swelling in your arm or groin
Sudden weight loss
A fever that doesn't go away
Night sweats

If you notice any of these, see your doctor.

Swollen Lymph Nodes Diagnosis

Your doctor will start by asking you about your medical history and giving you a physical exam. They might be able to get an idea of what's making your glands swell by where they are in your body.

They also may recommend one of these tests to find out more about what's going on:

Blood tests
X-rays
Ultrasound. High-frequency sound waves are used to let your doctor see what’s happening inside your body.
Magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI). A powerful magnet and radio waves are used to make detailed images of your organs and tissues.
Biopsy. Lymph node tissue is removed and looked at under a microscope.
PET scan. This looks at the chemical activity in parts of your body. It may help identify a variety of conditions like some cancers, heart disease and brain disorders. This is done less commonly.
CT scan. A series of X-rays are taken from different angles and put together to form a more complete picture.

Swollen Lymph Node Treatment and Home Remedies

If your swollen lymph nodes aren’t caused by something serious, they will go away on their own. A few things may help with any discomfort while you wait for it to run its course:

Warm compress. A washcloth rinsed in hot water and placed on the area that hurts may help ease pain.
Rest. Getting good rest can help you get over a mild illness faster.
Over-the-counter pain relievers: Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen may make you feel better. (Talk to your doctor before giving aspirin to children or teenagers.)

If something more serious is causing the swelling, treatment can include:

Antibiotics for an infection caused by bacteria
Medications that help with inflammation (for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis)
Surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy (for types of cancer)

Should a swollen lymph node be painful?

Swollen lymph nodes are a sign that something is wrong somewhere in your body. When your lymph nodes first swell, you might notice: Tenderness and pain in the lymph nodes. Swelling that may be the size of a pea or kidney bean, or even larger in the lymph nodes.