Essential Tremor

If you’re one of the 10 million Americans with essential tremor, you can find personalized care at the Brain and Spine Center of South Florida. The experienced neurology team specializes in nonsurgical therapies to treat essential tremor. They also provide advanced surgeries like deep brain stimulation and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) procedures to prevent new tremors from occurring. Call the office in Delray Beach or Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for essential tremor symptoms or book an appointment online today. 

What is an essential tremor?

An essential tremor is a nervous system disorder that causes involuntary shaking in your body. The disorder can affect any part of your body but is most common in the hands.

The underlying cause of essential tremor isn’t well understood, but your risk increases if you have a family history of the condition. You might also be more likely to develop the disorder if you’re 40 or older.

The Brain and Spine Center of South Florida offers diagnostic testing and treatment services for essential tremor. The medical team focuses on reducing your symptoms, so you can live a high-quality, physically active life.

When should I seek medical care for essential tremor?

You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at the Brain and Spine Center of South Florida if you have symptoms of essential tremors, such as shaking in one or both hands or involuntary up and down or side-to-side head movements.

You should also seek treatment if your tremors are severe enough to make eating, tying your shoelaces, or other daily tasks difficult.

There’s no single medical test to confirm an essential tremor diagnosis. However, the medical team reviews your personal and family medical histories and performs a neurological exam to rule out conditions like Parkinson’s disease.

How is an essential tremor treated?

If you have mild symptoms of essential tremor, you may not need treatment right away. If your shaking continues to worsen, the Brain and Spine Center of South Florida team may recommend treatments like:

• Medications
• Botox® injections
• Physical therapy
• Peripheral nerve stimulation

When your tremors are severe, you may need surgery. The team provides deep brain stimulation surgery and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to treat essential tremor.

Deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation is a procedure that uses a thin electrical probe to disrupt signals from your thalamus that are responsible for the tremors. A wire from the probe connects to a neurostimulator device the team implants in your chest to prevent new tremors from occurring.

HIFU

HIFU is a minimally invasive technology that uses an ultrasound beam to create a lesion on the area of the brain where the tremors originate. This treatment is a less invasive alternative to deep brain stimulation.

Call the Brain and Spine Center of South Florida office near you to schedule an essential tremor consultation or book an appointment online today.