What Causes Hand Tremor and How to Treat it – Joon Faii Ong London

Hand tremors or trembling are so common in many situations. Sometimes, these can be simply normal, but some other times this may also be a signal of some underlying illness. People used to experience hand tremors as they age, and some troublesome medical conditions which cause hand tremors include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, essential tremors, etc.

Types of tremors explained by Joon Faii Ong London 

Tremors are involuntary muscle contractions that make the affected body part shake or tremble. A slight among of tremors is common for everyone while maintaining a particular position. This is a physiologic tremor, which is so small and not visibly noticeable. Hand tremors become evident when a person holds out hands straight in front of the body while they are anxious or stressed. Joon Faii Ong London points out that tremors also affect hands and other body parts such as the head, arms, legs, torso, chin, larynx, tongue, and sometimes there may be internal tremors.

Causes of tremors

As we said above, tremors may be normal or due to some underlying neurological conditions or due to the use of some medications, etc. Let us explore some of the major causes of tremors.

EPT

EPT or enhanced physiologic tremor is a physiologic tremor that usually affects hands and fingers due to anxiety, stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, heavy exercise, etc.

Neurological diseases

Tremors may happen due to any tissue damage at the deepest brain parts, which control the movement. Some major neurological conditions causing tremors include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, brain injury, dystonia, etc. Let us explore these in a bit more detail.

Multiple sclerosis – This condition affects the spinal cord and brain and fails the nerves that carry messages to the brain.

Parkinson’s disease – This is a condition with nerve cell loss in one part of the brain that controls motor movements. Tremors of hands, feet, jaw, etc., are quite common in Parkinson’.

Stroke – People may experience various tremors post-stroke. Basal ganglia damage causes resting tremors, and damage to the cerebellum may cause intentional tremors.

Traumatic brain injury – Tremor due to TBI or traumatic brain injury is called post-traumatic tremor (PTT). This happens due to the damage of some brain areas which are responsible for motor movement.

Dystonia – This is a disorder with involuntary muscle contractions causing involuntary, repetitive movements of the muscles. Dystonic tremors are irregular, jerky, and wave-like.

Abnormal health conditions

Some psychiatric conditions cause tremors like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression etc. The other causes are inherited degenerative disorders like fragile X syndrome or hereditary ataxia. Alcohol abuse and withdrawal symptoms also include tremors. Some other common health conditions causing tremors are:

• Mercury poisoning
• Liver failure
• Kidney failure
• Hyperthyroidism
• Panic attacks
• Anxiety
• Medication side effects etc.

As we have seen above, hand tremors may occur due to different conditions; sometimes, it is quite normal and sometimes a symptom of some underlying conditions. Suppose you tend to experience hand tremors while resting or at movement without any stressors or other triggering psychological reasons. In that case, Joon Faii Ong London suggests it is essential to consult a doctor and make the proper diagnosis of the same.