There is a lump on my chin and it doesn't hurt when I walk

If there is a lump on the chin and it doesn't hurt when you walk, it is very likely that you have felt a lymph node. Lymph nodes are normal tissues in the body. If you feel pain, it means that your lymph nodes are swollen. You can first understand the condition of the lymph nodes and make a judgment based on your own situation. In addition, you should pay more attention to observation at ordinary times, and go to the hospital for examination in time if there are any abnormalities.

Lymph nodes are small bodies of lymphoid tissue that are oval or bean-shaped. They vary in size and are gray-red when fresh. It runs through the lymphatic vessels and is connected with them. One side of the lymph node is convex, and the lymphatic vessels connected to this side are called afferent lymphatic vessels; the other side is concave to form the lymph node hilum, and the lymphatic vessels connected to this side (hilum) are called efferent lymphatic vessels. Each lymph node has fewer efferent ducts than afferent ducts; the efferent duct of one lymph node can serve as the afferent duct of another lymph node. The main functions of lymph nodes are: filtering lymph, removing bacteria and foreign matter, producing lymphocytes and antibodies, etc.

The lymphatic vessels of various parts or organs of the human body generally converge into nearby local lymph nodes first. When a part of the body or an organ becomes diseased or inflamed, foreign bodies such as bacteria and toxins can spread through the lymphatic vessels to the corresponding nearby lymph nodes. The local lymph nodes have the function of blocking and removing foreign bodies such as bacteria or toxins, and become a defensive barrier to prevent the spread and spread of lesions. At this time, the cells in the lymph nodes proliferate rapidly, function vigorously, and increase in size. Therefore, local lymph nodes swell, which may reflect that there is a lesion in the part where the lymph nodes collect lymph. If the local lymph nodes cannot block and eliminate these bacteria or toxins, the lesions may spread and diffuse to distant places along the efferent ducts of the local lymph nodes. Therefore, understanding the location of local lymph nodes, the range of lymph storage and the direction of lymphatic drainage is of great clinical significance.

The role of ultrasound in lymph node diagnosis:

In the past, the diagnosis of lymph nodes was usually performed by manual palpation, but some lymph nodes cannot be palpated clinically. These inpalpable lymph nodes are often smaller in size and located deeper.

Ultrasound diagnosis is an ideal follow-up method because it is a non-invasive examination method that can be performed repeatedly and can quantitatively evaluate lymph nodes. Ultrasound diagnosis evaluates the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy based on the size and structure of lymph nodes. When the lymph nodes shrink to more than 25% of the initial value, it is a positive response to radiotherapy. A typical response to radiation therapy is that the lymph nodes shrink in size while their outlines become unclear and their internal echoes become uneven. In the early stages of treatment of malignant tumors, structural changes are often not obvious, and most changes occur in the middle stage of chemotherapy, so this period is most suitable for follow-up. The advantage of ultrasound follow-up is not only the accurate assessment of lymph nodes, but also the timely correction of the irradiation range.