What Causes Tremors Besides Parkinson’s

Surgical Treatment Of Essential Tremors

When medications are not effective, one additional option is surgery to destroy the abnormal brain cells that are responsible for the tremors. These cells are located deep in the brain in the thalamus in a bilateral structure called the basal ganglia. There are several nuclei in the thalamus, but the one that is related to tremors is called the ventral intermediate nucleus . The operation, thalamotomy, can be done by conventional stereotatic surgery or by the use of a Gamma knife . Since there is one thalamus in each side of the brain, the thalamotomy could be unilateral or bilateral. An additional option is by deep brain stimulation with implanted electrodes.

These techniques have proved to be very effective in some patients but are not free of side effects. At the present time the following are accepted recommendations:

Other Forms Of Tremor

There are other conditions that can cause tremor. Some people experience shaking and trembling as a side effect of certain medications, such as seizure and asthma medications. Tremors can also be a symptom of a neurological disorder like Parkinsons disease.

Tremors usually occur in the hands, but they can also affect the arms, legs, trunk, head, face, and voice. Tremors are usually exacerbated by certain postures and activities, such as eating, drinking, and writing. Physical and emotional stress can also exacerbate tremors.

How Are Parkinsons Tremors Treated

Tremor can be unpredictable. Some experts say itâs the toughest symptom to treat with medication. Your doctor may prescribe medication for your tremors:

• Levodopa/carbidopa combination medicines . This treatment is a type of medication called a dopamine agonist. Itâs usually the first treatment for Parkinsonâs.

Also Check: Can Vyvanse Cause Parkinson’s

Conditions That Mimic Shuffling Gait Seen In Parkinsons:

Please read the article on shuffling gait. It describes 5 causes of shuffling of gait.

The most crucial mimic to remember is Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus .

The person with NPH feels like he is stuck to the ground. This is a magnetic gait. It is easy to mistake this for Parkinsons disease.

For example, see this video posted by the Hydrocephalus Association of America on youtube:

NPH can be treated by implanting a small shunt pipe. This shunt drains excess water around the brain into the abdomen.

How Is Tremor Classified

Tremor can be classified into two main categories:

Resting tremor occurs when the muscle is relaxed, such as when the hands are resting on the lap. With this disorder, a persons hands, arms, or legs may shake even when they are at rest. Often, the tremor only affects the hand or fingers. This type of tremor is often seen in people with Parkinsons disease and is called a pillrolling tremor because the circular finger and hand movements resemble rolling of small objects or pills in the hand.

Action tremor occurs with the voluntary movement of a muscle. Most types of tremor are considered action tremor. There are several sub-classifications of action tremor, many of which overlap.

• Postural tremor occurs when a person maintains a position against gravity, such as holding the arms outstretched.
• Kinetic tremor is associated with any voluntary movement, such as moving the wrists up and down or closing and opening the eyes.
• Intention tremor is produced with purposeful movement toward a target, such as lifting a finger to touch the nose. Typically the tremor will become worse as an individual gets closer to their target.
• Task-specific tremor only appears when performing highly-skilled, goal-oriented tasks such as handwriting or speaking.
• Isometric tremor occurs during a voluntary muscle contraction that is not accompanied by any movement such as holding a heavy book or a dumbbell in the same position.

Don’t Miss: Microbiome Diet For Parkinson’s Disease

How Is Essential Tremor Diagnosed

The appearance of your tremor, in the setting of a comprehensive neurological examination by an experienced clinician, can result in diagnosis of essential tremor. Your doctor will probably need to rule out other conditions that could cause shaking or trembling. For example, tremors could be symptoms of diseases such as hyperthyroidism. Your health care provider might test you for those as well.

In some cases, the tremors might be related to other factors. To find out for certain, your health care provider may have you try to:

• Abstain from heavy alcohol use trembling is a common symptom among people with alcohol use disorder.
• Avoid caffeine.
• Avoid or reduce certain medicines.

Ancillary Tests For Tremor Differential Diagnoses

The overlap among tremor disorders is wide and complex. ET patients may present postural tremor coexisting with resting tremor, while postural tremor may coexist with resting tremor in PD and tremor in dystonia is often mixed including a rest tremor component. For the most complicated tremor patients, Dopamine transporter imaging can provide objective evidence to demonstrate presynaptic nigrostriatal dopaminergic deficit in PD, whereas, it is normal in essential, dystonic and psychogenic tremor.

Table 2 Potential neurophysiological tests for tremor differential diagnosis

Also Check: Is Drooling A Sign Of Parkinson’s

Which Test Can Be Done When The Diagnosis Is In Doubt

I request a small set of tests on almost all patients I diagnose with Parkinsons. These detect some mimics of Parkinsons disease.

Some doctors dont request all these tests. And for a good reason.

The diagnosis of Parkinsons mimics is primarily based on a careful history and examination. Even in my practice, these tests change the diagnosis only in a minority of patients.

I like the additional confirmation provided by these tests. They also have other benefits. For example, they help me determine the proper dosages of medications like Amantadine.

Simple tests to detect Parkinsons Mimics
1. MRI-Brain with size measurements of brain parts called the midbrain and pons. I usually also request a unique picture called SWI, which shows iron inside the brain. 2. Blood tests: Ceruloplasmin level & eye examination to look for a ring of copper Ferritin level HIV VDRL

But when the diagnosis s really in doubt, there is another brain scan that can be done.

A Trodat scan. Or even better an F-DOPA scan. Both these scans measure dopamine activity inside the brain.

You can read more about Trodat & F-DOPA scans by clicking here.

These scans are not perfect. Let me tell you why very quickly:

In Parkinsons disease, dopamine activity inside the brain is deficient. This deficiency produces an abnormal scan. If the Trodat/F-DOPA scan is normal, it is unlikely that you have Parkinsons disease.

Diagnosis Of Essential Tremor

To determine whether symptoms are caused by essential tremor or another condition, a physician will review the patient’s medical history and perform a physical examination. A neurological examination may also be performed to assess reflexes, muscle strength, sensation in the affected area, coordination and gait. Additionally, the doctor may request that the patient perform specific tasks to determine the progression of the tremors. Additional diagnostic tests may include:

• Blood tests
• CT scan
• MRI scan

Diagnosis of essential tremor includes ruling out other potential causes of tremors, including thyroid conditions, certain medications, excessive caffeine intake, tobacco use and alcohol withdrawal.

Recommended Reading: Stem Cells For Parkinson’s Disease Therapy

What Is A Parkinsons Tremor

Other health issues can also cause tremors, like multiple sclerosis or essential tremor. But Parkinsonâs tremors are different because theyâre usually:

• Resting. Parkinsonâs tremors happen when your muscles are still. They go away when you move. They also lessen while you sleep. For example, if youâre sitting in a chair with your arm relaxed, you may notice that your fingers twitch. But if youâre using your hand, like when you shake someone elseâs hand, the tremor eases or stops.
• Rhythmic. Parkinsonâs tremors are slow and continuous. They arenât random tics, jerks, or spasms.
• Asymmetric. They tend to start on one side of your body. But they can spread to both sides of the body.

What Is Parkinsons Disease

Parkinsons disease is a progressive condition that causes trouble with movement. Its caused by the death of cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra. This part of your brain produces the neurotransmitter dopamine.

In some cases, specific genetic mutations are linked to the development of Parkinsons. But more often, it seems to appear randomly. Its thought that environmental factors such as exposure to pesticides, herbicides, or air pollution may contribute, but more evidence is needed to understand the potential link.

According to the National Institute on Aging, Parkinsons most commonly develops in people over the age of 60 and affects men about 50 percent more often than women.

Read Also: Nursing Management Of Parkinson’s Disease

Reduced Sense Of Smell

If youre having trouble smelling pungent foods or can no longer pick up your favourite scents, it could have many causes. Its not the most common symptom of Parkinsons, but Dr. Hall says patients who suffer a loss of smell sometimes report it as being the earliest sign they experienced. The link between reduced sense of smell and Parkinsons isnt clear, but one theory is that the clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein, found in the brains of all Parkinsons patients, may form in the part of the brain responsible for smell before migrating to other areas and affecting motor function.

How Is Tremor Treated

Although there is no cure for most forms of tremor, treatment options are available to help manage symptoms. In some cases, a persons symptoms may be mild enough that they do not require treatment.

Finding an appropriate treatment depends on an accurate diagnosis of the cause. Tremor caused by underlying health problems can sometimes be improved or eliminated entirely with treatment. For example, tremor due to thyroid hyperactivity will improve or even resolve with treatment of thyroid malfunction. Also, if tremor is caused by medication, discontinuing the tremor-causing drug may reduce or eliminate this tremor.

If there is no underlying cause for tremor that can be modified, available treatment options include:

Medication

Focused Ultrasound

A new treatment for essential tremor uses magnetic resonance images to deliver focused ultrasound to create a lesion in tiny areas of the brains thalamus thought to be responsible for causing the tremors. The treatment is approved only for those individuals with essential tremor who do not respond well to anticonvulsant or beta-blocking drugs.

Surgery

When people do not respond to drug therapies or have a severe tremor that significantly impacts their daily life, a doctor may recommend surgical interventions such as deep brain stimulation or very rarely, thalamotomy. While DBS is usually well tolerated, the most common side effects of tremor surgery include dysarthria and balance problems.

Lifestyle changes

Also Check: How Long Does A Parkinson’s Patient Live

Dealing With Tremor In Old Age: Cala Trios Unique Answer

If youre concerned about tremor or youre dealing with sudden tremor, you should go to your healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment. For more common movement disorders like essential tremor, there are revolutionary new therapies created to help make symptoms more manageable. Every persons tremor is unique. Cala Trio offers a noninvasive way to manage tremor in the form of a wristband calibrated to the pattern of your shaking.

Cala Trio therapy has been cleared by the FDA and continued use, Cala Trio may help increase quality of life.

The wristband works by sending electrical signals to the brain where it disrupts the brains network responsible for tremor. Cala Trios clinical study showed that after one stimulation session, many patients experienced a meaningful reduction in tremors. 64% of patients reported persistent relief from their essential tremor for an average time of 94 minutes.

Although there isnt a cure for essential tremor, there are many therapies and treatments you can leverage to manage symptoms and enjoy your golden years with less worry.

Causes Of Essential Tremor

The exact cause of essential tremor is unknown, but essential tremors tend to occur when there are nerve-related problems that influence the muscles with which they are connected. Research has also indicated that the part of the brain that controls the movement of muscles may not function properly in patients with essential tremor. In some cases, several family members may have essential tremor, known as familiar tremor and it is believed to be caused by a genetic mutation.

Read Also: Parkinson’s Support Group Connecticut

Causes Of Tremor In The Elderly

Curious why old people shake? There are many potential causes of trembling and involuntary movement. And shakiness isnt just an issue that affects the elderly, you can experience tremors at any age. For example, you might notice that when you havent eaten in a while, your hands begin to shake from low levels of blood sugar.

This is just one of the many reasons you may experience tremors and shaking. Below, well explore conditions commonly associated with shaking hands and other tremors in old age.

What Is Essential Tremor

Essential tremor is a neurological disorder that causes your hands, head, trunk, voice or legs to shake rhythmically. It is often confused with Parkinson’s disease.

Essential tremor is the most common trembling disorder. Everyone has at least a small degree of tremor, but the movements usually cannot be seen or felt because the tremor is so small. When tremors are noticeable, the condition is classified as essential tremor.

Essential tremor is most common among people older than 65, but it can affect people at any age. Some experts have proposed considering ET that starts earlier in life as essential tremor and ET that begins later in life as age-related tremor, because the conditions may have different symptoms and may respond differently to treatments.

You May Like: Prayers For Parkinson’s Disease

What Are The 5 Stages Of Parkinson Disease

The 5 Stages of Parkinsons Disease Stage One . Individuals experience mild symptoms that generally do not interfere with daily activities. Stage Two . Symptoms worsen, including tremor, rigidity and other movement symptoms on both sides of the body. Stage Three. This is considered mid-stage. Stage Four . Symptoms are severe and limiting. Stage Five.

Characteristics Of Pd Tremors

The tremors of PD characteristically occur at rest, stop with voluntary action, and recur again after you hold your new position for a few minutes. PD tremors can affect the hands, arms, face, jaw, legs, and/or feet, and are often slightly more prominent on one side than the other.

The tremor almost always begins in the hand before affecting other parts of the body, and it usually looks like you are rolling a pill between your thumb and index finger. Thats why its called a pill-rolling tremor.

A pill-rolling tremor is the most common type of PD tremor, but shaking tremorswhich may involve the hands or other areas of the bodycan also occur.

Also Check: Music Therapy For Parkinson’s

Treatment Options For Tremors

There are several options available for the treatment of tremors. These include both medical as well as surgical treatments.

• In some instances, decreasing or discontinuing a drug might be enough, while in other cases more complex hormonal treatments might be needed.
• In any case the selection of the most appropriate treatment depends on the cause of the tremor and should be done by a physician who is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

How Are Tremors Diagnosed

Sometimes, tremors are considered normal. When youre under a lot of stress or experiencing anxiety or fear, tremors may occur. Once the feeling subsides, the tremor usually stops. Tremors are also often part of medical disorders that affect the brain, nervous system, or muscles.

You should see your doctor if you develop unexplained tremors.

During a physical examination, your doctor will observe the affected area. Tremors are apparent upon visual inspection. However, the cause of the tremor cant be diagnosed until your doctor performs further tests.

Your doctor may request that you write or hold an object to evaluate the severity of your tremor. Your doctor may also collect blood and urine samples to check for signs of thyroid disease or other medical conditions.

The doctor may order a neurological exam. This exam will check the functioning of your nervous system. It will measure your:

• tendon reflexes

Also Check: Wearable Technology For Parkinson Disease

Bjhwupslc: Rev: Solid: 16

If you notice your hands are shaky when pouring a cup of coffee, holding a bridge hand or combing your hair, you may leap to the conclusion you are in the early stages of Parkinson disease. But actually, essential tremor is the most common form of abnormal trembling primarily of the hands.

Essential tremor is a nerve disorder in which tremors occur without an identifiable cause. The tremor resembles an exaggerated shaking and occurs when a person is using his or her hands but does not occur while the hands are at rest. Parkinsons tremors are just the opposite noticeable shaking when at rest but no shaking when the hands are engaged.

Some degree of tremor during movements is normal for everyone. Stress, fatigue, anger, fear, caffeine and cigarette smoking may temporarily worsen normal tremor to the point that it becomes visible to the naked eye.

Chronic essential tremor can occur at any age but is most common in people older than 65. It is a relatively benign condition, affecting movement or voice quality, but with no other effects. It involves a rhythmic, moderately rapid tremor of voluntary muscles.Over time, essential tremor may involve hands, arms, head, voice box, eyelids, or other muscles. An essential tremor rarely affects the legs or feet. It may start in one body part but can progress to include other parts.

For more information or to make an appointment with a Washington University Neurology movement disorder specialist, please call 314-362-6908.

When To Seek Medical Care

A good rule of thumb is any isolated tremor, that is a tremor is the only sign, that lasts more than a few months or interferes with daily functions deserves a medical consultation.

When the tremor is associated with any other clinical sign, a medical consultation is always indicated. Given the variety of causes that can result in tremors, the best person to consult first is the primary care physician. Later, the patient may or may not be referred to a specialist.

Recommended Reading: How Close To A Cure For Parkinson’s