What is Tremor?
Essential Tremor
Essential Tremor is considered one of the most common neurological movement disorders and is estimated to be eight to 10 times more prevalent than Parkinson's disease. People exhibit a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, legs, trunk and/or voice. It can afflict persons of any age, gender and race and in the vast majority of all cases it is inherited. While more commonly noticed in older individuals, essential tremor can begin as early as birth.
Orthostatic Tremor
Orthostatic tremor is a condition that involves the unintentional rhythmic muscle movement of one or more parts of the body. It usually occurs when a person is standing upright. It is seen as progressive condition.
Dystonia
According to The Dystonia Society, the term is used to describe uncontrollable and sometimes painful muscle spasms caused by incorrect signals from the brain. It is estimated to affect at least 70,000 people in the UK. There are a large number of different types of dystonia which affect people in widely differing ways. Unfortunately there is not yet a cure.
Types of tremor
There are many different types of tremor that affect people in different ways. The table below shows the different types and characteristics.
Type of tremor | Characteristics |
|---|---|
Rest tremor
|
|
Action tremor or kinetic |
|
Postural tremor |
|
Kinetic tremor |
|
Intention tremor |
|
Task specific |
|
Idopathic dystonic tremor |
|
