Can a lymph node swell if you poke at it enough?

Only one way to find out. Hold on a minute…

I don’t know about a lymph node but I can certainly think of something else swelling if you poke it enough.

[mod says:] Let’s try to answer the question please. See the guidelines.

My question is, why wou you WANT to poke at it??? That’s bizarre. I’m sure it you mess with it & irritate it, yes, it probably would swell & get sore as well. Leave it alone.

Hey! You know better then to fool around when it comes to lymph nodes. That’s why you’re posting here. No doubt it’s no big deal. Just the same, see your doctor for peace of mind. Soon. Why worry?

I have reactive lymph nodes, for no reason whatsoever, so I’m quite familiar with swollen lymph nodes.
And touching them, or poking them, has never made them swell up. Your body has to be fighting something, usually, for them to swell. Mine just do it for the hell of it.

Much lurve to richardhenry for keeping you people on-topic. Without heroes like him, this place would be chaos.

So I totally read this the first time as: Can a limp noodle swell if you poke at it enough? :/

Anyway, I’ve never had my lymph nodes swell from poking at them. You didn’t specify whether you are trying to get them to swell (perhaps to get out of some commmitment?) or whether your lymph nodes have swollen and you want to know if poking at them is the reason. Either way, I would recommend not poking them, and if they are swollen, seeing a doctor because it could be something minor or something very serious.

My lymph nodes were swollen recently: the extremely painful sore throat I had developed confirmed “Strep throat.” The lymphatic system is part of the body’s defense mechanism and 1) don’t poke and @) see a doctor.

Most people don’t notice their lymph nodes at all until they are already swollen, generally from fighting infection. Poking them per se won’t make them swell, but poking at a swollen lymph node will make it hurt and certainly won’t help it do its job.

If you have swollen lymph nodes you need to see your doctor and figure out why they are swollen. It could be from a simple infection, or in rare cases something more serious.

So as @gailcalled says, stop poking stuff and go to the doctor.