There is a hard lump on the back of my head that hurts when I press it

If there is a hard lump on the back of your head that hurts when you press it, it is most likely caused by swollen lymph nodes in the occipital region of the head. Swollen lymph nodes in the occipital area are usually caused by inflammation in the body, which leads to pain. Patients with headaches at this time need to be treated with caution and can take appropriate anti-inflammatory measures. If necessary, it is recommended to seek medical attention for diagnosis so that better treatment measures can be taken in the future.

In life, we often use various alarms to detect abnormal situations in time. There are also many organs in the human body that are sensitive to diseases and can send out "signals" in a timely manner. Lymph nodes are one of them.

Lymph nodes are bean-shaped tissues of varying sizes in the lymphatic system. They are distributed throughout the body. Most of them are located in superficial parts of the human body, such as the neck, armpits, groin, etc., and are concentrated in groups. Its main function is to collect lymph return from various parts of the human body through lymphatic vessels, filter lymph, eliminate bacteria, and remove foreign matter such as cell debris. When bacteria, foreign bodies or cancer cells pass through the lymph nodes, the lymphocytes will "rise up in resistance" and "fight bravely" against them. During combat, changes in the lymph nodes constitute alarm signals.

Normal lymph nodes in the human body are the size of rice grains. They are soft, smooth, movable, and difficult to feel. If the lymph nodes become swollen, painful, hard or soft, ulcerated, or loose when touched, it means that the body is actually sending us a disease alert through the lymph nodes.

Abnormal lymph nodes in different parts often indicate different meanings.

1. Enlarged submandibular lymph nodes: It is often related to inflammation of the oral cavity and cheeks. It is common in bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract such as the nose, pharynx, and tonsils, as well as diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, and scarlet fever.

2. Swollen preauricular lymph nodes: often caused by inflammation of the eyelids, cheeks, and temporal area of ​​the ears.

3. Enlarged occipital lymph nodes: It is often seen in head and scalp diseases, and can also be seen in diseases such as rubella and measles.

4. Enlarged supraclavicular lymph nodes on the left side: often seen in digestive tract tumor metastasis, such as gastric cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic head cancer, and pancreatic body cancer. Enlarged right supraclavicular lymph nodes may be seen in lymph node metastasis of bronchogenic carcinoma and esophageal cancer.

5. Swollen axillary lymph nodes are commonly caused by inflammation of the breasts, upper limbs, shoulders and back, or lymph node metastasis of breast cancer.

6. Enlarged inguinal lymph nodes: mostly caused by inflammation of the lower limbs, lower abdomen, vulva, or lymph node metastasis of abdominal tumors.

7. Popliteal lymphadenopathy: mostly caused by skin inflammation in the feet or calves. What needs to be paid attention to is that when lymph nodes in various parts of the body swell painlessly and progressively, with a smooth surface and a tough texture, and anti-inflammatory treatment is ineffective, one must be highly vigilant about the possibility of lymphoma.