Resting hand tremor! My Grandad’s left hand is giving us cause for concern?
Donut
When he sits in his armchair with his fingers overlapping the arm of the chair, his fingers seem to clench and unclench slightly. When his fingers catch on the edge of the chair, it seem to pull his whole arm in a forward and backward motion as if his arm is tensing and untensing. The main worry is that it only happens when he is resting, and he seems unaware of it.
He is otherwise fit for someone in their 70′s and has all his marbles, if a bit difficult. We we’re worried this could be the start of Parkinson’s. We have urged him to see the GP, but he’s one of those who wont go to the doctors.
I would be gratefull if you guys any ideas what could be causing this.
Thanks
Parkinson’s Disease has strange ways to show at the beginning, it could be loss of voice, irritability, depression and an overall tiredness. Then, classic signs start to show, like static tremors, but they are often accompanied by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity, and an abnormal gait. Patients also have a “frozen” or rigid look on their faces.
I think it’s time to convince him to go get checked, his quality of life may depend on a timely treatment.
Go to MayoClinic.com and look up Parkinson’s. Good luck!
There are several causes of resting tremor, and Parkinson’s is only one of them. Perhaps your grandfather may be reassured by this and he will go to the doctor for a workup if he realizes there are other causes, such as a medication he may be taking that could be changed to one that will not cause these symptoms. In absentia of other symptoms of Parkinson’s, a medication or essential tremor is more likely than Parkinson’s.
Here is a list of several causes of resting tremor:
Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s plus syndromes (rest tremor is less common)
Wilson’s disease
Drug-induced parkinsonism (neuroleptics, Reglan, and Phenthiazines)
Long-standing essential tremor
Essential tremor is common in the hands and is far more common than Parkinson’s. It’s a movement disorder usually occurring in the elderly and is unlinked to any other disease, so the only effect is tremor(s). There are treatments for it if the patient finds the tremors troublesome.