Understanding MS Tremors

Health

Understanding MS Tremors

Medically reviewed by Nancy Hammond, M.D. — Written by Scott Frothingham

MS tremors

Tremors experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are often characterized by:

a shaky voice
a rhythmic shaking affecting the arms and hands, and less commonly the legs, head, and torso
difficulty holding or controlling a pen, spoon, or other tool or utensil

A 2012 reviewTrusted Source estimates that tremor affects between 25 to 50 percent of people with MS. Severe tremors may affect up to 15 percent of people with MS.

For people with MS, tremors are usually caused by brain lesions (specifically in the cerebellum) and damaged areas — called plaques — along the nerve pathways that are involved with coordinating movement.

The same plaques sometimes also result in other symptoms such as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) or dysarthria (difficulty speaking).

Types of tremor

There are two primary types of tremor: resting and action.

Resting tremor

Resting tremor occurs when there is shaking even when a body part is at rest. For example, a person may be sitting comfortably with their hands resting in their lap, but their fingers shake.

Action tremor

Action tremor occurs when a muscle is being voluntarily moved. For example, a person may be reaching to pick up a glass of water and their hand starts to shake.

There are a number of subclassifications of action tremor, including:

Intention tremor. These are associated with physical movement. There is no shaking when a person is at rest, but a tremor develops and becomes more pronounced as they attempt to make a precise movement such as shifting a foot or hand to a specific spot.
Postural tremor. These are associated with moving or supporting against gravity, such as a tremor that develops while standing or sitting, but not while lying down.
Nystagmus. These tremors are associated with jumpy eye movements.

For people with MS, the most common forms of tremor are intention tremor and postural tremor.

Treating MS tremors

Currently, there is no cure for tremors. But there are ways for people with MS to reduce their occurrence and improve function.

Lifestyle changes

The following lifestyle changes may help decrease the occurrence of tremors:

avoiding stress
getting enough rest
avoiding caffeinated drinks

Physical and occupational therapy

Physical and occupational therapists can help people with MS control tremors by:

teaching exercises for coordination and balance
recommending stabilizing braces in certain cases
demonstrating how to use weights to compensate for tremors
teaching new ways of performing daily activities that MS tremors might make challenging

Medication

A consistently effective drug for tremors hasn’t yet been identified. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, however, health professionals have reported varying degrees of success in treating tremors in people with MS using drugs including:

beta-blockers, such as propranolol (Inderal)
anti-anxiety medications, such as buspirone (Buspar) and clonazepam (Klonopin)
anticonvulsive drugs, such as primidone (Mysoline)
antituberculosis medication, such as isoniazid
antihistamines, such as hydroxyzine hydrochloride (Atarax) and hydroxyzine pamoate (Vistaril)
diuretics, such as acetazolamide (Diamox)

Botox

A 2012 studyTrusted Source indicated that the same Botox (botulinum toxin type A) injections used to temporarily smooth facial lines significantly improved arm tremor in people with MS.

Surgery

People with MS who have severe disabling tremors despite medications may be good candidates for surgical treatment.

There are two types of surgery that may help tremors in people with MS: thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation.

Thalamotomy is a surgery that destroys a part of the thalamus, a structure in the brain that helps control movements.

Deep brain stimulation implants a tiny electrode into the thalamus. The electrode is then attached to a wire that connects to a device under the skin in the chest area. The device delivers small electrical impulses to the thalamus.

Deep brain stimulation isn’t approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of MS-related tremor. However, it has been used successfully for this purpose.

The takeaway

The MS tremors that develop for some people can be mild or, for up to 15 percent of those with MS, severe and disabling.

While there is no cure for tremors yet, people with MS have ways to reduce the occurrence of tremors and improve function including physical and occupational therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.

Comments

World’s ‘best’ vaccines could soon come to poor countries

Health World’s ‘best’ vaccines could soon come to poor countries -By Vishnu /11/5/21 In the 6 months since Covid vaccines became available, those based on mRNA technology have scored top marks. So far, there are only two – made by Pfizer and Moderna – and both show 95% efficacy. Other types of vaccines are usually 80% or less efficacious. This difference affects not only the protection you get as an individual but also the protection available to the ‘herd’ or society. With a better vaccine a country can reach ‘herd immunity’ faster by vaccinating fewer people. But mRNA vaccines are still confined to the rich world. This is partly because supply is limited and those countries placed their orders first. Another reason is these vaccines get spoilt if they are not stored at extremely cold temperatures. The Pfizer shot initially required storage at -80°C. Poor countries couldn’t afford to buy specialised freezers for it in bulk. A fragile molecule Why do mRNA vaccines need ultra-cold stora

WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2021

Health WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2021 Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions World Asthma Day (WAD) (May 5, 2021) is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, (GINA) ( www.ginasthma.org ), a World Health Organization collaborative organization founded in 1993. WAD is held each May to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide. WHO recognizes that asthma is of major public health importance. According to WHO, it was estimated that more than 339 million people had Asthma globally (1) and there were 417,918 deaths due to asthma at the global level in 2016. (3, 4) Although asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage asthma to reduce and prevent asthma attacks, also called episodes or exacerbations. 1 This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”. The theme provides a call to action to address common widely held myths and misconceptions concerning asthma that prevent persons with asthma from enjoying optimal benefit from the major advances in the management of this condition

Nutrition Facts

What Is Dragon Fruit and Does It Have Health Benefits Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Though people primarily enjoy it for its unique look and taste, evidence suggests it may provide health benefits as well. This article takes a look at dragon fruit, including its nutrition, benefits, and how to eat it. Share on Pintere What Is Dragon Fruit? Dragon fruit grows on the Hylocereus cactus, also known as the Honolulu queen, whose flowers only open at night. The plant is native to southern Mexico and Central America. Today, it is grown all over the world. It goes by many names, including pitaya, pitahaya, and strawberry pear. The two most common types have bright red skin with green scales that resemble a dragon — hence the name. The most widely available variety has white pulp with black seeds, though a less common type with red pulp and black seeds exists as well. Another variety — referred to as yellow dragon fruit — has yellow sk

Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep

Health Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep Anatomy of Sleep Sleep Stages Sleep mechanisms How Much Sleep Do You Need? Dreaming The Role of Genes and Neurotransmitters Tracking Sleep Through Smart Technology Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep Hope Through Research Where can I get more information? Introduction Sleep is an important part of your daily routine—you spend about one-third of your time doing it. Quality sleep – and getting enough of it at the right times -- is as essential to survival as food and water. Without sleep you can’t form or maintain the pathways in your brain that let you learn and create new memories, and it’s harder to concentrate and respond quickly. Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other. In fact, your brain and body stay remarkably active while you sleep. Recent findings suggest that sleep plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain tha

Fungal diseases

Health Fungal diseases About fungal diseases . Fungi are everywhere. Sometimes, they are too small to see with the naked eye. Fungi live: Outdoors, for example, in soil and on plants Indoors, on surfaces and in the air On people’s skin and inside the body There are millions of fungal species, but only a few hundred of them can make people sick. Molds, yeasts, and mushrooms are all types of fungi. Fungi can cause many different types of illnesses, including: Asthma or allergies. Learn more about mold and how it can affect your health. Rashes or infections on the skin and nails Lung infections (pneumonia), with symptoms similar to the flu or tuberculosis Bloodstream infections Meningitis Most common fungal diseases Fungal nail infections Common infections of the fingernails or toenails. Vaginal candidiasis Caused by the yeast Candida , also called a “vaginal yeast infection.” Ringworm A common fungal skin infection that often looks like a circular rash. Candida infections of the mo

Brain’s waste removal system

Health Brain’s waste removal system may offer path to better outcomes in Alzheimer’s therapy NIH-funded study in mice suggests lymphatic boost could help reduce amyloid buildup. Study of mouse brain shows the meningeal lymphatics system (purple and pink) could help reduce amyloid. Sandro Da Mesquita, Ph.D. Enhancing the brain’s lymphatic system when administering immunotherapies may lead to better clinical outcomes for Alzheimer’s disease patients, according to a new study in mice. Results published April 28 in Nature suggest that treatments such as the immunotherapies BAN2401 or aducanumab might be more effective when the brain’s lymphatic system can better drain the amyloid-beta protein that accumulates in the brains of those living with Alzheimer’s. Major funding for the research was provided by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and all study data is now freely available to the broader scientific community. “A broad ra

Health info / news/

Vexplorehealth Health Information News Helpful Tips for Managing Chronic Kidney Disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious condition affecting 37 million U.S. adults and is often overlooked until symptoms appear. As we continue to observe National Kidney Month this March, learn how adopting a healthy lifestyle can help manage and slow the progression of CKD and its complications. Watch this video for tips to help people with CKD take charge of their kidney health.

Spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy Two-Month-Old Baby Battling Rare Disease To Receive World’s Most Expensive Injection Suffering from genetic spinal muscular atrophy, the baby is undergoing gene theray and will require an injection that costs Rs 16 Crores An eight-week-old baby in Britain will receive an injection that costs about Rs. 16 Crores, reports claimed. Suffering from genetic spinal muscular atrophy, Edward will have to be administered one type of gene therapy—Zolgensma to fight the rare disease. Since Britain imports the doses from the US and Europe, the injection costs a whooping a 1.7 million pounds. A disease unique to children, genetic spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), occurs due to lack of the SMN-1 gene. Symptoms of the disease include weakening of chest muscles which eventually leads to a difficulty in breathing. Interestingly, until 2017 there was no cure for the disease. Spinal Muscular Atrophy Download our Spinal Muscular Atrophy Fact Sheet Learn about MDA’s COVID-19 response W

Women crying: is it emotionally beneficial?

Do you know women will cry 4,680 times over in their adult life which is more than twice as much as men? Crying is a common human activity, and it can be triggered by many different emotions. But what do you think women crying is emotionally beneficial? According to the psychologist women are stereotypically associated with crying. It has benefit for both your mind and body. Check out all the health benefits of crying. Why do women crying have health benefits? It is said the women crying have benefit for both body and their mind. These crying benefits begin at birth with a baby’s first cry. Keep reading and learn more about the benefits of women crying. 1. Detoxifies body There are three different types of tears: Reflex tears Continuous tears Emotion tears Reflex tears are 98% water which clear debris like smoke and dust from your eyes. Emotional tears also contain stress hormones and toxins, while continuous tears also contain 98 per cent of water. When you cry, you are effectively d

Search This Blog