Is a shaking hand necessarily a sign of Parkinson’s disease. The answer is no! The most common cause of a shaking hand when writing or doing other activity is a condition called essential tremor. This problem affects up to 10 million Americans.
It is not associated with any illness and there is no medical test to diagnose it. The shaking is not caused by Parkinson’s. The tremor with Parkinson’s occurs at rest. There are also other signs of Parkinson’s such as slow and rigid movements, stooped posture, gait changes and a dulled facial expression.
Essential tremor usually develops in middle age and often becomes more noticeable with age. It may affect more parts of the body and sometimes even affects the voice. Think of the actress Katherine Hepburn.
If you have this problem avoid stimulants like caffeine. Fatigue, anxiety and stress can make matters worse. Physical therapy and exercise may help decrease the tremor. If these measure are not enough talk to your doctor about prescription medications such as beta blockers.
