Swollen lymph nodes in the neck are a common source of neck pain. Most often they are a sign of infection and, once treated or resolved, the lymph nodes will return to normal and the neck pain symptoms will also disappear. Usually, it is difficult to feel the lymph nodes in the neck unless they are enlarged (more than a centimeter across or so) but careful exploration with the fingers can locate the chain of lymph nodes down each side of the back of the neck, on either side of the anterior neck, and on both sides of the neck. Read more