Tremor is one of the most common signs of having Parkinson’s disease. However, every PD patient has different types of symptoms, so not every single person with the disease will get a tremor. Remember that tremor also can be a sign of a disease besides PD.
What Is a Parkinson’s Tremor?
This is a rhythmical and involuntary movement that affects part of your body. It is caused in PD patients by not having enough dopamine in your system. This is due to some nerve cells in your brain dying that produced dopamine. Without dopamine, your symptoms will start to appear, and tremor is one of them.
The most common sorts of tremor include:
- Resting tremor: Happens when you are relaxed, such as lying down in bed
- Action tremor: Happens when you are in the process of movement, such as holding a book
One of the most common sorts of tremor is what is known as a ‘pill rolling’ rest tremor. This is when you seem to be trying to roll a pill between your index finger and thumb.
‘Pill roll’ is a common rest tremor.
A specialist should be able to do a clinical assessment to see if you have any type of PD tremor. In some cases, further testing, such as with a DaTSCAN brain scan, could be useful.
Will I Get Tremor If I Have PD?
It is hard to say if you will develop a tremor with your PD. Not all patients develop a tremor, even in later stages of the disease. If you do start to develop one, you should talk to your doctor about your symptoms.
Will The Tremor Get Worse?
Medication can help to control your tremor, but generally, the tremor with PD will worsen as the disease progresses. Remember though that this can be a slow process and may happen over years. For some people, the tremor may come or go.
Often the PD tremor will start in the fingers of a hand, and then will spread over time to affect the whole arm. The tremor also may spread to the foot, on the same side of the body as the affected arm. Sometimes, the tremor may start in the foot and then radiate up the body into the arm on the same side.
For some patients, the tremor can also affect the jaw or lips. Some people may also have what is called an ‘internal tremor.’ This is a feeling of a tremor inside the body, but it is not something that others notice.
Writing Aids for Tremor
For PD patients who have a tremor, there are some excellent products to make writing much easier for you. The Adult Weighted Universal Standard Holder will help to stabilize your writing hand. It provides the added weight if you have trouble bearing down on a pen or pencil. Or, the EZGrip Pen Grips allow you to hold the writing tool loosely without squeezing or gripping. Both of these products will make it a lot easier to write with your PD.
