Jessica Simpson has finally found some relief.
One day after poking fun at her very swollen foot, the singer, who is currently pregnant with her third child, tried out a technique to help alleviate her condition.
Sharing a photo of her swollen foot on Friday, Simpson, 38, wrote that she was experimenting with cupping therapy, an ancient Chinese massage therapy technique thought to increase blood circulation.
Shortly after posting an image of her foot with three suction cup-like tools on it, Simpson proudly showed off the favorable results.
“SKANKLES aka Skinny Ankles ?,” she captioned an image of her noticeably less swollen foot.
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Over the years, many famous faces — ranging from athletes like Michael Phelps to stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston — have been spotted with deep red circles on their bodies, a tell-tale sign of cupping.
The technique involves using suction cup-like devices, which apply negative pressure to a person’s underlying sore tissue.
“It can be used as a massage technique, it can stretch the tissue out, it can bring local inflammation to an area for healing, or even break up scar tissue after surgery,” Michael Mancuso, a physical therapist in New York City who specializes in the technique, previously told PEOPLE, adding that “most patients feel immediate relief, and feel looser with increased ranges of motion.”
The red marks that patients are left with result from blood rising to the skin’s surface, and can last for seven to 10 days, according to Mancuso.
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After first sharing a photo of her very swollen foot last week, the pregnant star had some fun with the “10-year challenge,” the latest viral craze that has seen dozens of stars taking a walk down memory lane with comparison shots from 10 years ago and today.
However, instead of calling attention to her “glow up,” in her post, which has since been deleted, Simpson took the opportunity to show off the transformation her body has undergone since becoming pregnant with her third child.
In the left shot, Simpson’s incredibly toned legs were featured in cut-off denim shorts and a pair of wedges. Meanwhile, the right image showed her swollen foot.
The American Pregnancy Association explains that during pregnancy, “the body produces approximately 50 percent more blood and body fluids to meet the needs of the developing baby.”
The swelling, which is called edema, is common in the hands, face, legs, ankles and feet and is completely normal.
Simpson announced that she is expecting her third child — a baby girl — with husband Eric Johnson in September. The couple, who wed in 2014, are already parents to daughter Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 6, and son Ace Knute, 5.
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