Most people don’t notice their lymph nodes at all until they are already swollen, generally from fighting infection. Poking them per se won’t make them swell, but poking at a swollen lymph node will make it hurt and certainly won’t help it do its job.
If you have swollen lymph nodes you need to see your doctor and figure out why they are swollen. It could be from a simple infection, or in rare cases something more serious.
So as @gailcalled says, stop poking stuff and go to the doctor.