Raju Mantena, DOBoard-Certified Pain Management Specialist in Houston, TX

Pain management isn't just about prescribing medication. Dr. Mantena evaluates why pain is happening, where it's coming from, and what the most effective way to address it actually is. That might mean a procedure, a medication adjustment, a nerve block, physical rehabilitation, or a combination. Chronic pain is rarely a single problem with a single solution. Dr. Mantena's job is to find what's actually driving it and build a plan that works long-term — not just something that takes the edge off temporarily.

No — and that assumption keeps a lot of people from getting care they actually need. Opioids are one tool in a very large toolbox, and for many conditions they're not the right one. Dr. Mantena's approach starts with understanding what's causing the pain. Most of the time, the most effective options are procedures, targeted injections, or nerve blocks that don't involve opioids at all. If opioids are ever appropriate, that's a conversation he has openly. But they're never the default.

Most of his patients come in with spine-related pain — low back pain, neck pain, sciatica, herniated discs, spinal stenosis. He also treats nerve pain, joint pain, pain from injuries that never fully healed, post-surgical pain, and conditions like fibromyalgia or complex regional pain syndrome. If you've been dealing with pain for more than a few months and haven't found an answer, or if you've tried treatments that haven't worked, that's exactly the kind of patient Dr. Mantena sees.

Epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation evaluation, and trigger point injections are all within his scope. These aren't last resorts — for many patients they're the most direct path to real relief. Dr. Mantena goes through every procedure before recommending it, explains what it's designed to do, and sets realistic expectations. You won't be pushed into anything without understanding exactly what it is and why it makes sense for your situation.

Not always. Surgery is sometimes necessary, but it's often recommended before less invasive options have been fully explored. Dr. Mantena regularly sees patients who were told surgery was the next step and finds that a targeted procedure — an injection, a nerve block, a radiofrequency treatment — gives them the relief they needed without going under the knife. It's worth a pain management evaluation before making that decision. If surgery really is the right answer, Dr. Mantena will tell you that too.

Pain rarely exists on its own. Many of Dr. Mantena's patients are also managing diabetes, kidney disease, or heart conditions that affect what treatments are appropriate. Being inside a multispecialty practice means he can coordinate with nephrology, primary care, or the chiropractor in the same building without anyone playing phone tag. When a procedure requires imaging, when medications need adjusting around another condition, those conversations happen inside the same practice. That matters more than most patients expect.

Dr. Mantena spends the first visit understanding the full history of your pain — when it started, what makes it better or worse, what you've already tried, and what imaging or records exist. He won't walk in, glance at a chart, and hand you a prescription. The evaluation is thorough because the treatment plan depends on it. By the end of the visit, you'll know what he thinks is going on, what the options are, and what he recommends trying first.

Yes. Dr. Mantena treats patients on a letter of protection, which means care can begin immediately — before a case settles or an insurance claim resolves. If you were injured in a car accident, a workplace incident, or a slip and fall and can’t afford out-of-pocket costs while your case is pending, a letter of protection allows treatment to move forward with payment deferred until settlement. Attorneys who refer patients to Dr. Mantena for personal injury care can expect straightforward communication about lien status and billing throughout the case.

Personal injury cases live and die on the quality of medical records. Dr. Mantena’s documentation covers the mechanism of injury, objective clinical findings, the specific diagnoses tied to the accident, treatment rendered, functional limitations, and prognosis. His records are written to be clear to someone who isn’t a doctor — a judge, a jury, an adjuster. If a causation narrative or a formal medical report is needed to support a claim, he produces those as well. What the chart says matters as much as what the treatment was.

Yes. Dr. Mantena provides causation opinions that directly address whether a patient’s pain condition is consistent with the mechanism of injury in the accident — and to what degree. These opinions are documented in writing and can support demand letters, mediation, and trial preparation. He is available for deposition when required. Attorneys who work with Dr. Mantena know what to expect: clear opinions, well-supported records, and a physician who understands that his documentation has consequences beyond the exam room.