Dr. Gabor B. Racz, MD, FIPP, ABIPP

Expert Publications

• Postoperative hyperthermia following posterior fossa craniotomy.
• Percutaneous epidural neuroplasty: prospective evaluation of 0.9% NaCl versus 10% NaCl with or without hyaluronidase.
• Long-term relief of posttraumatic headache by sphenopalatine ganglion pulsed radiofrequency lesioning: a case report.
• A comparison of pulsed radiofrequency and continuous radiofrequency on thermocoagulation of egg white in vitro.
• Cervical spinal cord neoplasm in a patient with an implanted cervical spinal cord stimulator: the controversial role of magnetic resonance imaging.
• Targeting the spinal nerve via a double-needle, transforaminal approach in failed back surgery syndrome: demonstration of a technique.
• Evolution of interventional pain management.
• Pulsed mode radiofrequency lesioning of the suprascapular nerve for the treatment of chronic shoulder pain.
• Complications of transforaminal epidural injections.
• Evolution of epidural lysis of adhesions.
• Sphenopalatine ganglion pulsed radiofrequency treatment in 30 patients suffering from chronic face and head pain.
• Pulsed mode radiofrequency lesioning to treat chronic post-tonsillectomy pain (secondary glossopharyngeal neuralgia).
• Lumbar and thoracic sympathetic radiofrequency lesioning in complex regional pain syndrome.
• Radiofrequency procedures.
• Backache after extradural anaesthesia in the postpartum period: dissection of thoracic aneurysm.

Media Releases

Get to know Anesthesiologist & Pain Management Specialist Dr. Gabor B. Racz, who served patients in Lubbock, Texas.

Dr. Racz is a Hungarian-American board-certified anesthesiologist & fellowship-trained pain management specialist. He served as Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Anesthesiology & Co-Director of Pain Services at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center until June of 2016.

As such, he treated patients with severe pelvic pain, intractable headaches, and chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) using a personalized approach. 

Born in Hungary to hardworking parents, Dr. Racz was constantly encouraged to excel in his studies. Through tireless academic hard work and physical  prowess in water polo, he was granted entry into Semmelweis University Medical School in 1955. Although medical school is stressful for most, it was especially so for young Gabor due to political and social unrest. During his second year of school, the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 began. On November 27th of 1956, he was forced to leave his parents and Hungary after learning that the Hungarian Secret Police wanted him for questioning. Over the next 48 hours, his group of seven, including his future wife, Enid, managed to elude communist soldiers and arrive in Eisenstadt, Austria. He and Enid had to decide on where to begin their new lives and eventually chose England. 

As a former Hungarian medical student, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Liverpool School of Medicine. After learning English and passing his first-year exams, he matriculated in April of 1957. In 1962, Dr. Racz received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. He worked in Liverpool until 1963 at the Royal Southern Hospital as a house surgeon and physician. Later that same year, he and Enid moved to Syracuse, New York, where he began a residency in anesthesiology at State University of New York Upstate Medical University. He completed his residency in 1966 and over the next 11 years worked as an associate attending anesthesiologist and respiratory consultant for the Veterans Administration hospital and UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, New York.

He filled numerous assignments, such as respiratory consultant in the neurosurgical head injury unit and Associate Professor at SUNY, until 1977 when he moved to Lubbock, Texas to become the first Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the new Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He held that position until March 1st of 1999 when, as Director of Pain Services, he focused his full attention on treatment of patients, expanding the operations of pain services, and the future development of an international pain institute in Lubbock.

In 1996, Dr. Racz was honored by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center when he was awarded the first Grover Murray Professorship, recognizing his distinguished achievements in the institution as well as internationally. In December of 1998, University Medical Center named Dr. Racz recipient of a one million dollar endowed chair in recognition of his “greatness in patient care, teaching and research” at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and University Medical Center.

Under his direction, the International Pain Institute at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center had grown to international prominence, attracting patients and visiting physicians from around the world. His innovative work with nerve stimulators, spinal cord stimulators, radiofrequency thermocoagulation and a wide range of other pain management procedures brought many patients referred to his care from doctors throughout the world. He is a regular faculty member with education groups such as Dannemiller Educational Memorial Foundation, Pain Net, Inc., and the American Society of Pain Physicians.

A Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice (FIPP), the doctor is board-certified through the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) and the American Board of Anesthesiology. He is an advocate for high standards of certification and training among pain physicians and works toward the advancement of those goals.

Dr. Racz is a Founder and past president of The World Institute of Pain and National Pain Foundation and currently serving on the WIP executive board. He also is a founder and first president of Texas Pain Society and director of the annual TTUHSC Pain Symposium from 1983-2012.

Anesthesiology is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during, and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, and pain medicine. Anesthesiologists have the primary responsibility of monitoring the patient’s vital signs during surgery. In addition to basic measurements such as pulse, blood pressure, and temperature, they measure the patient’s respiration.

Pain management is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with chronic pain. A pain management specialist is a doctor who specializes in pain medicine, focusing on the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of pain.

Throughout his fruitful career, Dr. Racz has received numerous recognitions and awards from organizations around the world, including Distinguished Professor Award for Lifetime Achievement from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the Lifetime Achievement Award(s) from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. He is also listed in all editions (1992-2005) of The Best Doctors in America. 

Internationally recognized for his extensive work, he is widely published in book chapters, journal articles, and four books describing his techniques in spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation, neurolysis, radiofrequency thermocoagulation and other interventional procedures. He also travels around the world lecturing and instructing workshops.

According to the US News & World Report, Dr. Racz has been rated among the top 1% in the nation in his specialty and is listed in the Becker’s Spine Review for Top 150 Pain Management Physicians to Know.

While he has moved to many places in his lifetime, he has lived in Texas for many years. He enjoys living in the DFW area with his wife and children.

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