Essential tremor: treatment and differences for parkinson's

Essential tremor is an alteration of the nervous system that causes tremors to appear in any part of the body, especially in the hands and arms when trying to do simple tasks, such as using a glass, washing your teeth or tying your heart, for example.

Generally, this type of tremor is not a serious problem as it is not caused by any other disease, although it can often be confused with Parkinson's disease, due to its similar symptoms.

Essential tremor has no cure, but tremors can be controlled with the use of some drugs prescribed by the neurologist, or physical therapy to strengthen the muscles.

Treatment for essential tremor

Treatment for essential tremor should be guided by a neurologist and is usually started only when tremors prevent daily tasks from being performed. The most used treatments include:

• High blood pressure medications, such as Atenolol or Metoprolol: help to reduce the onset of tremors; Epilepsy drugs, such as Primidone or Gabapentin: relieve tremors when high blood pressure drugs have no effect; Anxiolytic remedies, such as Alprazolam or Clonazepam: they allow to relieve the tremors that are aggravated by situations of stress and anxiety;

In addition, in the most severe cases, it is still possible to perform surgery to place a small device in the brain, similar to a pacemaker , which transmits small electrical impulses to regulate the brain's action on tremors.

When physiotherapy is needed

Physiotherapy is recommended for all cases of essential tremor, but especially for the most severe cases, where tremors make it difficult to perform some daily activities, such as eating, pinching your shoes or combing your hair, for example.

In physiotherapy sessions, the therapist, in addition to doing exercises to strengthen the muscles, also teaches and trains different techniques to perform the activities that are difficult, being able to use different adapted equipment.

Difference with Parkinson's disease

Although tremors are almost always associated with Parkinson's disease, in this case there are some differences, such as:

	Essential tremor	Parkinson's disease
Emergence of tremors	They usually appear when using the hands.	More frequent when the hands are at rest or resting at the side of the body.
Other diseases	It does not cause other changes in the body.	You can change your posture, change the way you walk and slow your movements.
Body parts affected	Most common in the hands, head and voice.	It usually starts in the hands, but it can affect the legs, chin and other places.

However, the best way to ensure that the tremor is not Parkinson's disease is to consult a neurologist to perform the necessary tests and diagnose the disease, initiating the appropriate treatment.

What causes this type of tremor

The main cause of essential tremor is a genetic alteration and, therefore, it can pass from parents to children. Therefore, it is recommended to do genetic counseling if there is a family history of the disease and if you want to become pregnant.