Tremors: A Complex Condition

To call tremors complex is somewhat of an understatement. Tremors develop for any number of reasons — some of them perfectly benign, like overworking your muscles, while other tremors may indicate something far more serious, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.

As neurology experts, our team here at Complete Neurological Care understands the many ways in which tremors can develop, how they present themselves, and what can be done about ongoing issues with tremors.

While it would be impossible to fully describe all tremors here, we’re going to focus on some basics and when you should seek help for a tremor.

The many types of tremors

To give you an idea about just how complex tremors are, let’s take a look at the some of the more common types, which include:

Essential tremors

This is the most common type of tremor, and we consider it to be a movement disorder. Most essential tremors show up as shaking hands, a quivering voice, or head movements. About half of essential tremors are thought to be caused by a genetic risk factor. 

This type of tremor exists both when you’re moving and when you’re standing still and typically affects both sides, meaning you won’t have a tremor in just one hand.

Dystonic tremors

These types of tremors are a result of dystonia, which is a movement disorder that causes muscles to become overactive.

Cerebellar tremors

Damage to the cerebellum in your brain, such as from a stroke, can lead to cerebellar tremors, which are highly visible and typically manifest in your arms or legs.

Parkinsonian tremor

These tremors are in response to Parkinson’s disease and can start in just one hand, but move on to involve both hands, as well as other parts of your body, such as the face and legs.

In addition to the above, there are many other types of tremors, such as those caused by certain medications, withdrawal, mental health issues, overactive thyroid, and other issues.

Getting to the bottom of your tremor

If you’re experiencing a tremor that poses ongoing problems, it’s important to seek the help of a neurology expert. Tremors are complex and stem largely from the brain, which is our area of expertise.

When you come in, we start by reviewing your symptoms and your medical history before we move on to extensive testing that might include:

• Electroencephalogram to measure electrical activity in your brain
• Electromyography to study the interaction between nerves and muscles

In addition to these frontline tests, we also perform simple tests that allow us to gather further information about the tremor. 

For example, we may have you pick up an object to see if the tremor exists while your hand and arm are in motion or whether it only exists when your hands are at rest.

Once we have a better idea about what’s behind your tremor, we can recommend ways in which we can reduce the issue, such as:

• Medications
• Physical therapy
• IV infusions
• Botox® treatments for overactive muscles
• Lifestyle changes, such as reducing or eliminating caffeine

In severe cases, we can turn to deep brain stimulation to target the area of your brain responsible for the unwanted movements.

For expert diagnosis and treatment of your tremor, please contact one of our offices in Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, or Margate, Florida, to schedule an appointment.