(WYTV)- We’re going to talk about essential tremors. It’s a nervous system condition that causes patients to shake.
It looks a lot like Parkinson’s Disease, but it’s very different. Essential tremor is usually not dangerous but it typically gets worse over time and it can be severe in some people.
That’s when treatment options come up, including deep brain stimulation. Electrodes placed in the brain help correct brain signals that cause the tremors.
“There’s this moment in the operating room when you’re trying to treat someone with tremor when you get the electrode in the right spot, you turn on the electrical stimulation, and then the tremor just melts away. I mean, and it’s almost instantaneous and it’s something that never gets old to see,” said Dr. Phillip Tipton of the Mayo Clinic.
But before you get to this stimulation, try other treatments such as oral medications, good for improving symptoms when tremors are in the arms. Botox injections can be useful in treating tremors involving the head, legs, and sometimes the voice.
Doctors say we shouldn’t look at deep brain stimulation as a last resort to treat tremors, but rather a means to improve quality of life.
