Dear Dr. Stoll,
My husband has had a tremor in the left hand which has been gradually getting worse over a period of 2-1/2 years. He had EMG/NCV studies back in June which revealed CTS. (I did not think that tremors were necessarily a symptom of CTS.) However, he experiences pain in the left shoulder. I pressed down on the shoulder and it caused pain but in also stopped the tremor! but, only temporarily. My husband had a MRI of the brain last month. That was essentially a normal study. All it revealed was congestion in the sinus cavities. His MD made no recommendations as to what to do about the tremor. My husband finds this problem to be very embarrassing to say the least. I suggested to him to go back to the neurologist for further evaluation but he hesitates to do this. I have done some reading about nerve disorders, brachial plexus and cervical problems in my Merck's manual. It states that the cause can be bone spurs pressing on a nerve, cervical cord compression or even tumors. My husband had a benign tumor removed from beneath his left breast when he was 15 years of age. He is now 58.
Interestingly enough, the tremor is not evident when he is sleeping and applying heat seems to stop it for a time. His medications consist of one ASA per day (he had a CABG in 1996), Xanax 0.125 @ hs and Humibid LA bid. He also takes vitamins including 200 mgm B6 daily. Any ideas as to what could be causing this tremor? Another idea I had was E.T. His mother had that condition from the time she was in her forties until her death at age 78. Gloria
Follow Ups:
Re: Hand tremor
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 05, 1998 at 09:36:50:
In Reply to: Hand tremor posted by Gloria Boduch on November 04, 1998 at 08:05:30:
Dear Gloria,
What you are describing is so classicaly a structural problem that you need to hear from Doc Dave, the wonderful Chiropractor who donates a lot of his time helping people on this BB.
If you do not get a response from him in a day or so, resubmit your note with his name in the title to draw his attention.
Also, you are describing a typical result of total body bracing and to prevent this recurring in the future he needs to learn & practice an effective skilled relaxation technique. Doc Dave will tell you about that too.
Let us know how he does.
Walt
Re: Hand tremor/Doc Dave
Posted by Gloria Boduch on November 07, 1998 at 06:55:49:
In Reply to: Hand tremor posted by Gloria Boduch on November 04, 1998 at 08:05:30:
Dear Doc Dave:
I submitted a message on 11/4/98 regarding the hand tremor my husband is experiencing. Please review. Do you have any thoughts about this, Thanks, Gloria
Follow Ups:
Re: Hand tremor/Doc Dave
Posted by David Ferguson, D.C. on November 08, 1998 at 19:24:17:
In Reply to: Re: Hand tremor/Doc Dave posted by Gloria Boduch on November 07, 1998 at 06:55:49:
Sorry that I missed your post.
The problem that your husband has COULD very well be something that chiropractic care could greatly influence. A combination of spinal and shoulder girdle dysfunction occasionaly leads to the symptoms you have described. I would highly advise that you encourage him to be examined by a chiropractor to get a hands on opinion if they think care may help or even resolve this problem.
Skilled relaxation should be high on the list to keep the problem away.
If you need help locating a chiropractor in your area, please put a new post at the top of the list with your town, state in it and I will see what I can dig up.
Best wishes!
Re: Hand tremor
Posted by Lori on December 16, 1998 at 15:08:53:
In Reply to: Hand tremor posted by Gloria Boduch on November 04, 1998 at 08:05:30:
My mother has had a tremor in her left arm for about 3 or 4 years. She was told it might be the beginnings of Parkinsen's Disease back then. We never really talked about it much until recently. She has gone back to her Doctor and he has reassured her that he does not feel that it is Parkinsen's because it only tremors when in use. If she is holding something it will shake, and she said that if she really tries, she can usually control it. Her Doctor said it is a Benign Hand Tremor. What is that? I feel she needs a bit more information, or direction for research. Please help me with any suggestions you may have. Thanks so much.
Follow Ups:
Re: Hand tremor
Posted by Walt Stoll on December 17, 1998 at 09:33:02:
In Reply to: Re: Hand tremor posted by Lori on December 16, 1998 at 15:08:53:
Dear Lori,
ANYTHING that will improve the quality of her brain chemistry will help this kind of tremor.
She needs to find the closest practitioner of Orthomolecular Medicine and take all her records with her for the consultation.
She needs to do this not just for the tremor but for all the other chronic CNS conditions that the tremor is just a stalking horse for.
Call the Huxley Institute for Boiosocial Research, The American Academy of Orthomolecular Medicine, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2N 1E9, (800) 847-3802 or (416) 733-2117 for the closest practitioner.
Let us know how she does.
Walt