Tracy Scolari is getting ready for an in office procedure that she hopes will relieve her severe leg pain.

After three pregnancies she has developed raised, twisted swollen veins in her upper thigh called varicose veins.

“Not ever sharp pain really, just kind of a dull aching. It would kind of throb and I had some itching. It sticks out pretty good, its curly not so attractive thing,” says Tracy.

While Tracy is under local anesthesia, vascular surgeon Dr. Janet Albright uses an ultra sound to locate the vein in question.

Then with a device called a ClosureFast she slowly scars the inside of that vein with radio frequency.

In essence she is closing off the large vein as she works her way down the leg.

“Her case, you put 3 babies right on that pelvis and it pushes down on the vein, forcing the blood back down your veins, breaking the valves. The valve opens and closes, opens and closes. If its broken, its always going to be open when you stand up the blood goes down,” says Dr. Albright.

Being female, or a pregnancy, can cause varicose veins.

But being overweight, having a family history or standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time can also bring on the condition.

Dr. Albright says while this vein is sealed, the blood will simply find other pathways to the lungs.

Because this is not cosmetic surgery the procedure is covered by Medicare and other health insurances.

Tracy reported back to us all she had to do was take it easy for a couple of days, and wear pressure hose for two weeks to prevent clotting. Best of all she says she no longer has pain in her legs.

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