Dr. Gajendra Singh Sandhu Consultant – Neurosurgery Manipal Hospital
Tremor refers to an uncontrollable rhythmic movement affecting body parts like legs, hands or fingers. This a common symptom which is often linked to neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. Tremors are classified into two categories: resting tremors and action tremors. The former occurs when your body is at rest whereas the latter occurs when you are doing something. However, tremor is one of the very first symptom of Parkinson’s disease, it can also be a symptom of other conditions as well. For the unversed, Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that particularly affects the body movement and balance. It is believed that people with Parkinson’s don’t have enough dopamine (a body chemical responsible for controlling movement and mood). This happens because the brain cells that produce dopamine gets damaged resulting in unintentional body movements. Few symptoms of this disease include tremors, stiffness, postural instability and more.
Linkage between body tremors and Parkinson’s disease
One of the first motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are tremors. These occur because the level of dopamine decreases which causes involuntary movement like shaking. However, in a Parkinson’s patient, tremor may start with hands or fingers, it may affect the chin, lips, face, or legs. Tremorsis a progressive condition, meaning it initially occurs on one side of the body, but it may start affecting the other side with the passage of time. In most of the cases, Parkinson’s disease goes unnoticed until later stages. Therefore, tremors along with stiffness, balance issue, sleep problems, anxiety and increased falls are considered as signs of Parkinson’s disease.
Treatment options
Although there is no particular cure for tremors, but there are certain ways to manage them. The treatment options are different for every person depending upon their condition. In early stages, it may be treated with the help of few medications whereas in the advance stages, surgical procedure like deep brain stimulation may be required.Medication :
Few drugs like levodopa can help manage the tremors. These drugs increase the level of dopamine or act as a substitute resulting in controlling the body movements and balance.Exercise:
Most of the times, exercise and other physical activities can help improve your brain health and overall well-being. Deep brain stimulation:
This is a surgical procedure that involves implanting small electrodes inside the brain which can help in controlling the tremors. This treatment is only offered when the regular medications have stopped responding.
