What are hand tremors?
Hand tremors can be defined as unintentional rhythmic shaking of hands that occur either at rest or with motion.
What are tremors?
As stated above, tremors are an unintentional, rhythmic movement of a part of the body in a back-and-forth pattern. They are the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the hands, arms, head, face, voice, trunk and legs. Thought they can appear at any age, but are highly common in middle-age and older individuals.
According to neurologists, various disorders such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, brain injury or neurodegenerative disease that affect brain and nerve cells tend to cause hand tremors. Other conditions like alcohol withdrawal, thyroid disorders, liver failure and lithium poisoning are also associated with tremors. Fatigue, anxiety, stress, aging, low blood sugar, some prescription medicines like amphetamine, corticosteroids and over use of caffeinated drinks are also known to cause hand tremors.
In general, it is the abnormal brain activities that lead to tremors. These activities control muscle movement throughout the body or in specific areas such as hands. For the best hand tremor treatment, one should visit an expert neurologist who can start a specific therapy for the problem.
Types of tremor
Isometric Tremor – It is a kind of tremor that occurs during the contraction of a voluntary muscle in the absence of any movement. Essential tremor, advanced physiological tremor, dystonic tremor, and tremor in Parkinson’s disease can manifest as this type of tremor.
Benign Essential Tremor – is the most common type of tremor and affects people of more than age of 40 years. It typically affects hands but the head, tongue, voice, and trunk may also be affected. This tremor may not be fully active in its initial stage, but it gains intensity within a few years in some individuals. It is triggered or worsened by stress, fever, fatigue, heightened emotions and low blood sugar, and reduces with alcohol intake.
Physiological Tremor – This kind of tremor occurs in every individual and hardly visible to the eye. Its severity increases with strong emotions such as anxiety or fear. These kinds of tremors are found to be increased with drugs like sympathomimetics and antidepressants.
Dystonic Tremor – This kind of tremor affects individuals of all ages and in any part of the body. These tremors are jerky, uneven and variable depending upon the posture and activity and tend to relieve with total bed rest or by touching the affected body part.
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