By the Pain Management Team at Performance Pain and Sports Medicine
Suzanne Manzi, MD
Updated April 2026
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Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive, image-guided procedure that uses controlled heat to interrupt the small nerves carrying chronic pain signals from a damaged joint or spinal level. For workers and families across Baytown, Mont Belvieu, Channelview, Highlands, La Porte, Crosby, and the wider Houston Ship Channel community, RFA can deliver six to twelve months of meaningful relief from chronic back, neck, and joint pain without surgery, general anesthesia, or the long drive into the Texas Medical Center.
At the Baytown office of Performance Pain and Sports Medicine, located on West Baker Road just off I-10 and Garth Road, Dr. Suzanne Manzi performs radiofrequency ablation under fluoroscopic guidance to treat lumbar and cervical facet joint pain, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and chronic knee pain from osteoarthritis. The office offers bilingual English and Spanish care, accepts workers’ compensation for refinery and petrochemical injuries, and aims to keep East Harris County patients out of TMC traffic and on the job.
If physical therapy, medication, and steroid injections have reached the limits of what they can do for you, RFA is one of the most thoroughly studied interventional procedures available and a natural next step for many Houston Ship Channel patients.
What Is Radiofrequency Ablation?
Radiofrequency ablation is a non-surgical procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to generate a precise, controlled heat lesion on targeted nerve tissue. This heat disrupts the nerve’s ability to send pain signals to the brain, providing relief that can last for several months or longer.
The procedure is performed under fluoroscopic guidance, a form of real-time X-ray imaging that allows the treating physician to place the treatment needle with pinpoint accuracy. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) considers fluoroscopic or CT guidance mandatory for all facet joint interventions, including RFA (Manchikanti et al., Pain Physician, 2020).
RFA does not permanently destroy nerves. The targeted nerve fibers can regenerate over time, which is why pain may gradually return after 6 to 12 months or longer. When that happens, the procedure can be repeated. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that RFA provides statistically significant pain reduction for patients with lumbar facet joint and sacroiliac joint pain (Leggett et al., Pain Research & Management, 2014).
RFA is not appropriate for every type of pain. It works best when the pain source has been confirmed through a diagnostic nerve block prior to the procedure.
Conditions Treated with RFA in Baytown
Baytown is, by economy and culture, one of the most clearly defined industrial-worker patient populations in the Houston region. The patients we see at the West Baker Road office reflect that reality. Many work at the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou, Covestro, or one of the dozens of operators inside the Cedar Crossing Industrial Park. Others are longshoremen, stevedores, mariners, and logistics staff on the Houston Ship Channel; turnaround contractors, welders, pipefitters, and instrumentation technicians; Goose Creek CISD educators and coaches; and Houston Methodist Baytown, Altus Baytown, and Lee College health-program staff. RFA at the Baytown office is designed to keep this workforce moving.
Conditions commonly treated with RFA at the Baytown office include:
- Lumbar facet joint pain, the leading cause of chronic low back pain in refinery and chemical-plant operators, turnaround crews, welders, pipefitters, and longshoremen whose work demands repeated bending, lifting, climbing, and standing on hard surfaces for long shifts.
- Cervical facet joint pain and cervicogenic headaches, frequent in instrument and electrical technicians, dockworkers, and industrial inspectors whose work requires sustained overhead reaching, awkward neck postures, and helmet weight. A systematic review found Level II evidence supporting cervical facet RFA for chronic neck pain (Suer et al., Pain Physician, 2022).
- Sacroiliac joint pain, a common driver of one-sided low back and buttock pain in patients with prior lumbar surgery, post-pregnancy structural changes, or jobs that involve repeated climbing in and out of trucks, vessels, and offshore equipment around the Ship Channel.
- Genicular nerve pain from knee osteoarthritis, a non-surgical option for longtime refinery and Ship Channel workers, GCCISD educators, and pre-replacement patients across East Harris County who want to delay or avoid total knee replacement.
Each condition requires a confirmed diagnosis through a diagnostic medial branch or lateral branch block before RFA is recommended.
How Radiofrequency Ablation Works
The path from your first Baytown consultation to a definitive radiofrequency procedure follows a deliberate, evidence-based sequence designed to confirm exactly which nerves are generating your pain before any treatment is performed. This protects East Harris County patients from undergoing a procedure that does not match the true source of their pain and gives you the best chance of meaningful, durable relief.
Step 1: Consultation and Evaluation
Your first visit at the Baytown office begins with a comprehensive interventional pain evaluation. Dr. Manzi reviews your medical history, prior imaging, physical therapy notes, prior injections, current medications, and any work-related injury history. A focused physical exam, range-of-motion testing, and pattern-of-pain analysis help determine whether your symptoms are consistent with facet joint, sacroiliac, or knee-mediated pain that may respond to RFA. If new imaging is needed, it is coordinated locally rather than requiring a 35 to 45-minute drive up I-10 into the Texas Medical Center.
Step 2: Diagnostic Medial Branch Block
Before any radiofrequency lesion is performed, Dr. Manzi uses a diagnostic medial branch block to confirm that the nerves you intend to treat are in fact the source of your pain. A small amount of local anesthetic is injected near the medial branch nerves under live fluoroscopic guidance in the Baytown office. If the block produces meaningful temporary pain relief, that result confirms those nerves are transmitting your pain signals and predicts a strong response to RFA. If the block does not relieve your pain, your team reassesses the diagnosis rather than proceeding with a treatment that is unlikely to help. For workers’ compensation cases, this objective diagnostic step is often essential documentation.
Step 3: RFA Procedure Day in Baytown
On procedure day, you arrive at the West Baker Road office, where Dr. Manzi performs the radiofrequency procedure under fluoroscopic guidance. After the skin and deeper tissues are numbed with a local anesthetic, a thin specialized needle is advanced precisely to the targeted medial branch, lateral branch, or genicular nerve. A microelectrode at the tip delivers radiofrequency energy that heats the nerve tissue to a controlled, measured temperature, disrupting its ability to transmit pain signals while leaving surrounding muscle and bone unaffected.
The procedure typically takes 30 to 60 minutes. Most patients walk out the same day and have a friend or family member drive them home. Because Baytown summers are hot and humid, hurricane season runs June through November, and air-quality alerts can occur during industrial ozone events, our team will give you written aftercare guidance tailored to local conditions: hydration, indoor recovery in air conditioning, and a backup plan for follow-up visits if a tropical system or air-quality alert disrupts your schedule. Spanish-language aftercare instructions are available on request. For broader context on related conditions, see our back pain treatment overview.
Benefits of Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is one of the most thoroughly studied non-surgical options for chronic facet and sacroiliac joint pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that all three commonly used RFA techniques delivered significant pain improvement for up to 12 months with no serious complications reported (Shih et al., Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 2020).
Patients across Baytown, Mont Belvieu, Channelview, Highlands, La Porte, Crosby, Anahuac, and the wider East Harris County area commonly cite the following advantages when they choose RFA at the Baytown office:
- Six to twelve months of meaningful relief. Many patients describe finishing a full refinery shift, a Ship Channel container load-out, or a school week at GCCISD again after months or years of pain that limited every workday.
- Truly minimally invasive. RFA uses a thin needle and local anesthetic. There are no incisions, no stitches, and no general anesthesia, so there is no hospital admission and no operating-room time.
- Same-day, in-office procedure. Most Baytown patients are home within an hour and back to light activity within two to three days, which fits the schedules of refinery shift workers, turnaround crews, longshoremen, and parents of GCCISD athletes.
- Less reliance on chronic pain medication. By directly interrupting the pain signal, RFA can reduce the need for daily oral analgesics, an important goal for patients in safety-sensitive refinery, petrochemical, and offshore roles where DOT and process-safety rules apply.
- Repeatable when relief fades. Because the targeted nerves naturally regenerate, RFA can be safely repeated in the same office to maintain control of your pain.
- Surgery-sparing. For patients exploring alternatives to spinal fusion or knee replacement, RFA is a proven interventional option that can keep you on the job and on the Ship Channel.
Your individual results will depend on your specific diagnosis, the nerves treated, and how your body responds to the procedure.
Risks and What to Expect After RFA
Radiofrequency ablation is considered a low-risk procedure, but every Baytown patient receives a frank, plain-language discussion of possible side effects before consenting to treatment. Spanish-language consent and aftercare materials are available on request.
Common, self-limiting effects (typically resolve within one to two weeks):
- Mild soreness or a deep ache at the treatment site
- Temporary numbness or altered sensation in the treated area
- Minor bruising or local swelling
Rare effects:
- Infection at the needle insertion site
- Prolonged numbness or new nerve irritation
- Allergic reaction to the local anesthetic
Serious complications from RFA are uncommon. The Shih et al. (2020) meta-analysis cited above reported no serious complications across the studies reviewed.
Recovery and seasonal considerations:
Most Baytown patients return to light daily activity within a few days. Mild soreness at the procedure site is normal for one to two weeks. The full pain-relieving effect typically develops over two to four weeks as the treated nerve responds to the heat lesion. Because Baytown summers are long and humid, hurricane season runs June through November, and excessive ozone alerts can occur near the surrounding industrial complexes, your team will discuss hydration, indoor air-conditioned recovery, respiratory considerations on alert days, and a contingency plan if a tropical system disrupts a follow-up visit. A follow-up visit is scheduled at the Baytown office to evaluate your response and adjust your care plan if needed.
Why Choose Performance Pain for RFA in Baytown
Choosing the right practice for radiofrequency ablation matters. RFA outcomes depend on accurate diagnosis, precise needle placement under live fluoroscopy, and disciplined patient selection. These require a physician with extensive training in interventional pain management and a team that knows the patients of Baytown and East Harris County, the rhythms of refinery turnarounds and Ship Channel labor, and the realities of bilingual, family-centered care in a majority-Hispanic community.
At Performance Pain and Sports Medicine in Baytown, RFA is performed by:
- Dr. Suzanne Manzi, MD — Quadruple board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Obesity Medicine, with residency at Baylor College of Medicine and fellowship training in interventional spine and pain management. Dr. Manzi serves as off-site clinical faculty at UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School and is a founding member of the Society of Women Innovators in Pain Management. She sees patients from Mont Belvieu, Channelview, Highlands, La Porte, Crosby, Anahuac, Beach City, Cove, Old River-Winfree, Wallisville, Dayton, and Liberty at the Baytown office.
The Baytown office is located on West Baker Road, a short drive from the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou, Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, Lee College, and the Fred Hartman Bridge. It accepts most major medical insurance plans, Medicare, and workers’ compensation cases from local refinery, petrochemical, and Ship Channel employers, and offers Spanish-language care for our majority-Hispanic community.
Patients considering biologic alternatives to RFA for joint or tendon pain can also explore PRP therapy in Baytown.
Performance Pain and Sports Medicine — Baytown
Address: 1650 W. Baker Rd., Ste A, Baytown, TX 77521
Major Cross Streets: West Baker Road at Garth Road, just off I-10
Nearby Landmarks: Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, Lee College, ExxonMobil Baytown Complex, Baytown Nature Center
Parking: Free on-site parking
Phone: 346-217-1111 (Bilingual / Hablamos Español)
Conveniently located in the heart of East Harris County, the Baytown office serves patients from Mont Belvieu, Channelview, Highlands, La Porte, Crosby, Anahuac, Beach City, Cove, Old River-Winfree, Wallisville, Dayton, Liberty, and the wider Houston Ship Channel community, with quick access from I-10, Garth Road, SH-146, and the Fred Hartman Bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions About RFA in Baytown
Is the radiofrequency ablation procedure available in Baytown?
Yes. Both the diagnostic medial branch block and the radiofrequency ablation are performed at the Baytown office of Performance Pain and Sports Medicine, located at 1650 W. Baker Rd., Ste A. Dr. Suzanne Manzi, MD, performs RFA under fluoroscopic guidance for patients across East Harris County, the Houston Ship Channel community, and the wider Baytown area. The office offers bilingual English and Spanish care. Most insurance plans, Medicare, and workers’ compensation cases cover medically necessary RFA. Call 346-217-1111 or request an appointment online.
Do you accept workers' compensation for refinery, petrochemical, and Ship Channel injuries?
Yes. The Baytown office regularly treats workers’ compensation patients from the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex, Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou, Covestro, Cedar Crossing Industrial Park operators, Houston Ship Channel longshoremen and stevedores, turnaround and contractor crews, and Goose Creek CISD staff. We coordinate with case managers and adjusters and document objective findings — including diagnostic medial branch block results — that support appropriate work status decisions. Call 346-217-1111 to discuss your specific case.
Do you accept referrals from Houston Methodist Baytown, Altus, and Harris Health primary care?
Yes. Dr. Manzi routinely accepts referrals from Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital, Altus Baytown Hospital, the Harris Health Baytown Health Center, and independent primary care, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic, and physical therapy practices throughout East Harris County. Most patients are seen within one to two weeks. Records can be sent through your referring practice or directly to the Baytown office at 346-217-1111.
How long does radiofrequency ablation last?
Most Baytown patients experience six to twelve months of meaningful pain relief. Some report relief well beyond a year. Because the treated nerves can regenerate over time, pain may gradually return. When it does, RFA can be repeated in the same office. Clinical evidence supports significant pain reduction lasting up to 12 months across multiple RFA techniques (Shih et al., 2020).
Is radiofrequency ablation painful?
Most patients tolerate the procedure well. Dr. Manzi applies a generous local anesthetic to numb the skin and deeper tissues before any RFA needle is placed. You may feel a brief sensation of pressure or warmth during the radiofrequency portion. Mild oral sedation is available for patients who prefer it for comfort or anxiety.
How long is recovery after RFA at the Baytown office?
Most patients return to light daily activities within two to three days. Mild soreness at the treatment site is common for one to two weeks. The full pain-relieving effect typically develops over two to four weeks. Because Baytown summers are hot and humid, hurricane season runs June through November, and excessive ozone alerts can occur near the surrounding industrial complexes, your team will discuss hydration, indoor air-conditioned recovery, respiratory considerations on alert days, and a contingency plan if a tropical system disrupts a follow-up visit.
Does insurance cover radiofrequency ablation?
Most insurance plans cover RFA when it is medically necessary and a diagnostic medial branch block has confirmed the pain source. Coverage details vary by plan. Call the Baytown office at 346-217-1111 to confirm your benefits before scheduling.
What is the difference between a nerve block and RFA?
A medial branch block is a diagnostic injection that temporarily numbs a target nerve to confirm it is the source of your pain. Radiofrequency ablation is the therapeutic procedure that follows, using a controlled heat lesion to interrupt that same nerve for longer-lasting relief. The block typically lasts hours; the RFA can provide six to twelve months or more of relief.
Schedule Your Baytown RFA Consultation
If chronic back pain, neck pain, or knee pain has not responded to physical therapy, medication, or steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation may help you find lasting relief without surgery. Patients across Baytown, Mont Belvieu, Channelview, Highlands, La Porte, Crosby, and the wider East Harris County / Houston Ship Channel community are welcome to schedule a consultation at the Baytown office to discuss whether RFA is right for your condition. Bilingual English and Spanish care is available.
Performance Pain and Sports Medicine — Baytown
1650 W. Baker Rd., Ste A, Baytown, TX 77521
Phone: 346-217-1111
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information presented reflects an interventional pain management perspective and is intended to support, not substitute, your relationship with a qualified healthcare provider. Individual results vary based on diagnosis, pain duration, overall health, and response to treatment. Some procedures may not be covered by insurance. Treatment outcomes depend on proper patient selection and accurate diagnosis. Always consult a board-certified physician before pursuing any pain management treatment.
Performance Pain and Sports Medicine
Medically reviewed by Suzanne Manzi, MD
Board-Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and Obesity Medicine
Last reviewed: April 2026
