War Memorial Hospital: War Memorial Hospital.

Welcome to War Memorial Hospital

Welcome Dr. Andrew Alshab, MD MPH
Pain Management Specialist

Chronic pain is a disease that affects patients much more than can be quantified by using a number between one and ten, according to the region’s first pain management specialist. Instead of relying on the traditional pain score, Andrew Alshab, MD, MPH, says he will be focused on discovering how pain impacts a patient’s ability to function when treating chronic conditions.

“As chronic pain affects the body for an extended period of time, it not only prevents us from doing things, it changes the way we think and the way we move throughout our day,” Alshab said. “A pain score is irrelevant because it doesn’t sum up the person’s total experience.”

The specialist launched the Upper Peninsula Pain Institute at War Memorial Hospital in November. “At UPPI, we focus on those personal activities our patients miss doing as a result of pain and evaluate a number of therapies for them to get back into action,” he explained.

Alshab has spent his medical career focused on relieving the agony people suffer for any number of reasons. “Chronic pain is a disease. One single approach doesn’t work. The best way to address a disease is through a comprehensive, individualized approach,” he said in a recent interview.

The doctor recently relocated to the Eastern Upper Peninsula from Kalamazoo. This Detroit native received his medical degree from Wayne State University and completed his residency in anesthesiology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He then completed a fellowship at Case Western in pain management.

Alshab believes that pain management is more than just medication and procedures. It involves multiple medical disciplines, including physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and behavioral therapy.

“To successfully recover from pain, both medical professionals and patients need to work hard to recognize what each can do to control pain. As much as patients would like to think they will be able to control pain 100 percent, the reality is that we can reduce pain typically by 30 percent but that is critical to improving their functionality,” he explained.

Accompanied by his wife and four children, Alshab said he looks forward to his future in the Upper Peninsula and is anxiously awaiting serious snow. “We like to hike and mountain bike and we are hoping to do some cross-country skiing and snowshoeing this year.”

A visit to Upper Peninsula Pain Institute requires the referral of a primary care physician. For more information about pain management techniques, call UPPI at (906) 253-2665.