We encouraged swimming for folks who had already developed lymphedema, because it was an activity they could do without wearing their compression sleeve or stocking. The pressure of the water did a fine job of keeping the edema down.

We always had a story we'd tell about the gradation of pressure for compression garments. I don't know if it's true, but it's a good story. Apparently some dude had lymphedema in his leg but noticed that when he walked around in the lake the edema got better. Et voila! The idea of graded pressure stockings was born! (high pressure at the feet grading up to light pressure at the groin, like water pressure when standing waist deep in water)