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"It's important to catch lymphedema early," says Brendon Twigden, P.T., a physical therapist who offers a lymphedema program for cancer patients at USC/Norris. "The sooner it is treated, the better the result. It is unwise to allow the condition to progress significantly and then come in for help."

The mantra for early lymphedema sufferers is simple: elevation, elevation, elevation.

Physicians can show patients exercises that involve elevating the arm above the heart to help circulate fluid, Twigden says. Some patients also benefit from a device that keeps the arm elevated while they sleep.

Since lymph flows in the body through the pumping action of surrounding muscles that push on lymph vessels, moving the affected limb and flexing muscles can help patients.