- 1). Stand directly in front of your child or the person whose neck lymph nodes you will be measuring. If you are the one in need of medical attention, ask a friend to do it for you. At the angle at which the lymph nodes are located in the neck, you can examine them yourself as well.
- 2). Place the tips of your fingers, palm open, 1 inch below each ear. Lightly touch the surface of the skin. Do not press down. If the lymph nodes are swollen, it could be very painful to press and squeeze them. Lymph nodes are not usually identifiable when they are not swollen. If you cannot seem to locate them, they are most likely not infected. If you can clearly tell with a light touch that there is a bulge in this area, they are most likely infected.
- 3). Judge the fingerspan of the nodule size. Is the nodule big enough to be covered by one finger, two fingers or three fingers? If the nodule needs two or three fingers to be covered, it is most likely infected.
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