Causes of Hand Tremor
1. It can also occur during the use of certain drugs such as:
– Benzodiazepines
– Dopamine agonists
– Levodopa (in Parkinson’s disease)
– Lithium salts (in bipolar disorder)
– Antidepressants (tricyclics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
– Anticonvulsants (gabapentin, levetiracetam, phenobarbital, topiramate)
– Antipsychotics
– Muscle relaxants (cyclobenzaprine, tizanidine).
2. It is also connected to certain conditions such as:
– Thyroid problems
– Heart conditions (like an irregular heartbeat or atrial fibrillation)
– Liver and kidney failure
– Infections (hepatitis, HIV, hyperthyroidism, Lyme disease).
3. Traumatic brain injury is also a cause of Parkinson’s disease tremor. For example, while most people have an earthquake on their hands, some have a tremor in their legs.
4. It can also be caused due to benign essential (familial) tremor, which occurs for unknown reasons and becomes progressively worse over time. If the person with such tremors has not yet reached the age of 50, it is more likely that they will not get Parkinson’s disease.
5. Parkinson’s disease tremor:
– It occurs because of a lack of dopamine in the brain, which is caused due to destruction of dopamine-containing neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain.
– One study found that patients with Parkinson’s disease who began to take a drug called pramipexole, commonly used for restless leg syndrome and depression, had a lower risk of getting the disease.
6. One type of tremor is caused by repetitive small muscle contractions from either voluntary or involuntary movements. Examples can be seen in people with essential tremors or dystonia.
7. REM sleep behavior disorder is a condition that interferes with normal REM sleep and causes the person to move a lot during dreams physically. This movement may be tiny twitches of specific muscles, such as the hands, or more significant movements like hitting people in the bed partner.
8. Hyperthyroidism can also cause hand tremors. More than 10 million people in the United States have hyperthyroidism, which is an overactive thyroid gland. The condition causes metabolic changes that speed up many of your body’s functions.
As a result, it can affect all aspects of your health, from how quickly you process information to the way you digest food. It can also cause hand tremors and weight loss, among other symptoms.
9. Alcoholism is a condition in which drinking alcohol excessively causes problems in a person’s life. In addition to causing tremors, it can also lead to memory loss, mood swings, confusion, and irritability.
10. Withdrawal from cocaine and other drugs is known to cause hand tremors. Cocaine withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, depression, and fatigue.
11. There are several different types of seizures, including generalized seizures such as absence seizures, myoclonic seizures, and tonic-clonic seizures that involve convulsions. Convulsive seizures can cause hand tremors.
12. For some people, hand tremors are caused by normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), an increase in fluid around the brain that causes a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles. NPH is usually found through a myelogram procedure, which uses a dye injected into the spinal fluid to highlight any anomalies. NPH can also cause dementia, urinary incontinence, and difficulty walking.
13. Alcohol withdrawal causes seizures in many people with alcoholism who abruptly stop drinking after a period of heavy alcohol use. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include tremors (sometimes called “the shakes”), anxiety, and trouble sleeping.
14. People with Parkinson’s disease tend to have a tremor in their hands when they’re not moving or when they use specific postures, such as holding their arms outstretched and keeping them there for a long time (called “kinetic” tremors). They may also use gestures, such as closing their hands into fists or flapping their arms, which can also cause hand tremors (called “intention” tremors).
15. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a condition that causes an almost irresistible urge to move the legs. Moving about frequently relieves some people’s feelings, but other people find it uncomfortable or painful to keep moving. RLS is most common in older people, but it can affect people of any age. It’s thought to be related to abnormalities in the brain’s chemical dopamine.
The best exercise for hand tremors:
Tremors are tested by letting the patient hold onto a table. Then gently place one hand on top of the other and move them up and down in tiny movements for about two minutes, measuring the frequency of tremors. The test should be done three times over 20-minute intervals with breaks to avoid fatigue.
What Causes Tremors?
The most common causes of tremors are:
essential tremor (the most common type)
Parkinson’s disease
medications used to treat a variety of conditions including high blood pressure, asthma, and some psychiatric drugs
lack of sleep or stress
thyroid problems; low levels of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium in the blood.
Tremor Symptoms:
The most common symptoms of tremors include:
rhythmic shaking of one or more body parts such as the hands, head, arms, legs, or feet
trembling or shakiness in your voice
unintentional repetitive movements such as touching your fingers together, lips with your fingertips, or picking at your clothes
Difficulty doing everyday tasks – dropping things more often than normal
What are the Treatments for Tremors?
The most common treatments for tremors include:
– medicine – surgery – deep brain stimulation (DBS) Therapy
Tremor treatment options include:
– Tremor medications – Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy.
Medications. The most common drugs that can help with tremors are beta-blockers, dopamine enhancers, and anticonvulsants. Beta-blockers may also be called beta-adrenergic blocking agents and help control tremors by affecting the neurotransmitters that cause them.
Anticonvulsants such as gabapentin (Neurontin) may also be used for this purpose. In addition, drugs that increase dopamine in the brain can also help reduce tremors, such as ropinirole (Requip), pramipexole (Mirapex), and rotigotine (Neupro).
Surgery. One of the benefits of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is that it can offer effective treatment for tremors caused by minor seizures in the brain. Deep brain stimulation uses a device to send electrical impulses to specific brain parts, quieting the tremor-causing neurons.
Tremor Exercise:
1. Handshaking exercise:
This is one of the most common exercises used to improve hand tremors with promising results. While holding onto a table, place both hands firmly on top of each other and shake them up and down in tiny movements for about two minutes. Repeat this process three times over 20-minute periods, taking breaks in between.
2. Finger tapping exercise:
While sitting down, use both hands to tap your fingers on a tabletop as quickly as you can for about five minutes. Repeat this process twice a day for several weeks or until tremors improve. Then, if necessary, repeat the process on the other hand.
3. Finger walking exercise:
Start with all your fingers together, and hands held out in front of you on a straight line, palms facing down. With your right hand, walk your fingers across until they are pointing to the left (or vice versa) while slowly moving them up and over one by one until they are pointing back to the right (or vice versa). Repeat the process three times.
4. Eating exercise:
This is another joint exercise used to improve hand tremors, which can be done while eating your meals. While holding a utensil in one hand, place your other hand on top of it and gently shake them back and forth for about two minutes, periodically pausing to take a couple of bites of food. Repeat the process three times over 20-minute periods, taking breaks in between.
5. Drink exercise:
This is another joint exercise used to improve hand tremors, which can be done while drinking your beverages. While holding a utensil in one hand, place your other hand on top of it and gently shake them back and forth for about two minutes, periodically pausing to take a sip from a glass or a drink. Repeat the process three times over 20-minute periods, taking breaks in between.
Tremor Therapy:
1. Biofeedback:
It is a painless, non-invasive therapy that helps you become aware of your body’s physiological changes by measuring and displaying them for you.
2. Relaxation Therapy:
It is a treatment strategy that includes both mental and physical techniques to help you relax, reducing trembling symptoms. Such therapies are effective when they are taught by someone who has experience with treating ET.
3. Exercise Therapy:
Physical activity can help reduce the severity of hand tremors and other symptoms in many people with ET by directly strengthening the muscles that control movement. There are two types of exercise therapies commonly used to treat ET:
Physical therapy is a treatment option for ET that involves exercises, stretches, relaxation techniques, and regular home activities to help improve coordination.
– Occupational therapy is a treatment option for ET that involves exercises or other tasks performed repeatedly to help build skills that assist daily life.
4. Lifestyle changes:-
Some lifestyle changes can benefit people with ET by reducing the number of tremors and other symptoms. There are several changes that you can make to help manage your ET, such as:
– Avoiding caffeinated drinks such as cola, coffee, and tea because caffeine causes an increase in tremors and muscle tension.
– Limiting alcohol intake because consuming even small amounts of alcohol (one glass of wine or one shot of whiskey) may cause an increase in tremors.
– Removing tobacco from your life because smoking can make ET worse.