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Lymph node map: lymphatic drainage points and where to start

Where the lymph node groups used in lymphatic self-massage are, what each one collects, and the order you open them in. Tap a number to see which way the skin is moved.

CC BY 4.0 · Download it Sources ↓

Lymph nodes
About 600 around the body. Self-massage works with 7 groups.7
Where lymph ends up
Behind the collarbone, where it returns to the blood.7
The order
Neck and collarbone first, then from near the trunk to further away.1, 3
Pressure
Minimal: you move the skin, not the muscle.1
A woman standing, facing forward, with the lymph node groups marked

Above the collarbone

Sides of the neck

Armpits

Deep in the belly

Groin

Behind the knee

Face

A man standing, facing forward, with the lymph node groups marked

Above the collarbone

Sides of the neck

Armpits

Deep in the belly

Groin

Behind the knee

Face

Tap a number or a group in the list

The 7 groups, from the collarbone outward

  1. Where
    In the hollow just above each collarbone, either side of the base of the neck. Shrug your shoulders and you will feel the skin dip.1
    What it collects
    This is the end of the road. Behind the collarbone, the large lymph vessels empty into the subclavian veins and lymph returns to the blood.7 That is why every routine opens it first.1
    How to open it
    Open the collarbone. Two flat fingers in the hollow; move the skin down and in, like a J, always above the bone. 10 times.1

  2. Where
    Along the sides of the neck, from below the ears down to the collarbone.1
    What it collects
    Lymph from the head and face, which travels down this way to the collarbone.1
    How to open it
    Sides of the neck. Flat hands just below your ears; stretch the skin back and down, and release. 10 times.1

  3. Where
    In the hollow of each armpit.1
    What it collects
    Lymph from the arm and the chest. Arm leaflets always open them, straight after the neck and collarbone.4, 5
    How to open it
    Armpits. A flat, cupped palm in the armpit with the arm resting over it; move the skin up and into the armpit, and release. 10 times each side.4

  4. Where
    Deep in the abdomen, in front of the spine. Your hands cannot reach them.
    What it collects
    Deep nodes and vessels on the way lymph takes up to the chest. Breathing with the diaphragm helps empty the thoracic duct, the large lymph vessel that runs up through the chest.6
    How to open it
    Belly breathing. Flat hands on your belly: breathe in through your nose, feeling them rise, and breathe out slowly. 5 breaths, with a pause between each. Routines start and finish this way.1

  5. Where
    In the crease between the thigh and the belly.1
    What it collects
    Lymph from the leg and the lower side of the trunk. In leg leaflets it is the first point you open.2, 4
    How to open it
    Groin march. A flat hand in the groin crease, kept still while you lift and lower your knee. 10 times each side.2

  6. Where
    In the hollow behind the knee.2
    What it collects
    The halfway stop of the leg. You open it on the way from the thigh to the calf, and from there everything travels up to the groin.2
    How to open it
    Behind the knee. Flat fingers behind the knee, with gentle pressure, while you straighten and bend it. 10 times.2

  7. Where
    In front of each ear and under the edge of the jaw.1
    What it collects
    Lymph from the skin of the face, which then travels down the sides of the neck to the collarbone.1
    How to open it
    Nose to ears. Flat fingers either side of the nose; move the skin outward across the cheeks to just in front of the ears. Always after opening the neck. The face guide, step by step.

Why you start at the top

All lymph ends up behind the collarbone. If you open that way out and the groups near the trunk first, whatever you move afterwards in your face, arms or legs has somewhere to go. That is why NHS self-drainage leaflets always start with breathing, the neck and the collarbone.1 Lymphedema therapists do the same: they clear the nearby nodes first and then open a path toward them.3

Within each area the same logic applies. On the leg, for example, you start at the groin, carry on down the thigh and knee, and the foot comes last.2

The 6 points you open first

Before working on an area, you open the groups of lymph nodes between it and the way out, starting at the collarbone. There are six, from top to bottom:

  1. Above the collarbone: the end of the route, which is why it is always opened first.1, 7
  2. The sides of the neck, for everything coming from the head and face.1
  3. The armpits, for the arm and chest.4
  4. The deep abdomen, with breathing, because your hands cannot reach it.6
  5. The groin, for the leg.2
  6. Behind the knee, the leg’s halfway stop.2

You do not need to open all of them every time: you open the ones between the area you are working on and the collarbone. For the face, the collarbone and neck are enough.1 For the legs, the leaflets start with breathing, the tummy and the groin,2 and Rinpa routines open the collarbone first.

What about the “Big 6”?

On social media and podcasts the “Big 6” has become popular: a routine by Perry Nickelston with six areas in this order: collarbone, neck, shoulder and armpit, abdomen, groin and behind the knees. The idea is the same as this map’s: lymph moves from the limbs towards the collarbone.9 They are, almost point for point, the six above.

The difference is in the move. The Big 6 suggests rubbing, tapping, dry brushing or a gua sha.9 NHS self-massage leaflets ask for something else: stretch the skin with very little pressure and let it go, without rubbing, and if you can feel the muscle under your fingers, you are pressing too hard.1 Rinpa follows the leaflets.

Lymphatic drainage points on the face

Lymph from the face goes to small groups of lymph nodes: in front of the ears, under the edge of the jaw and under the chin. From there it travels down the sides of the neck to the collarbone.1 That is why facial drainage always goes from the inside outwards, towards the ears, and never starts with the face: first the collarbone and the neck.1, 10

In the “Fresh face” routine there are three moves, from bottom to top: lips to ears, nose to ears and under the eyes, and to finish, down the neck. The full step by step is in the facial lymphatic drainage guide.

How much pressure

Very little. The skin is stretched as far as it naturally goes and released, without going red: “If you can feel your muscles underneath your fingers, then you are pressing too hard.”1 You never squeeze or rub the nodes. What moves is the skin above them.

Map of the lymph nodes used in lymphatic self-massage: supraclavicular, cervical, axillary, abdominal, inguinal, popliteal and facial

CC BY 4.0

Use it on your site or in class

The map is free to use. You can download, print and publish it under a CC BY 4.0 license, crediting Rinpa with a link to this page.

Download PNG ↓

Sources

  1. 1.West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (2020). How to do self-lymphatic massage on your head and neck.
  2. 2.West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (2019). Simple lymphatic drainage: legs.
  3. 3.Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. Manual lymphatic drainage.
  4. 4.Lymphoedema Network Northern Ireland. Simple lymphatic drainage (SLD) for the arm and trunk.
  5. 5.Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. Arms: self lymphatic drainage.
  6. 6.National Lymphedema Network (2025). Lymphedema diagnosis and treatment: position statement.
  7. 7.Cleveland Clinic. Lymphatic system: what it is, function and anatomy.
  8. 8.NHS. Swollen glands.
  9. 9.Rupa Health (2025). Got pain? Use your lymphatic system to fix it, with Perry Nickelston. The “Big 6” routine.
  10. 10.Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust. Head and neck simple lymphatic drainage (SLD).