ESSENTIAL TREMOR OVERVIEW

Tremor is defined an involuntary, rhythmical, oscillatory (back and forth shaking) movement of a body part such as the arm, leg, or head. It is produced by alternating or synchronous contraction of antagonist muscles. Tremor is further classified according to how it occurs. Resting tremor occurs when the affected body part is completely at rest….the most common example of this is the tremor that occurs in patients with Parkinson's disease. Postural tremor is seen when the affected body part is voluntarily maintained in a position against gravity; for example holding the arms in an outstretched positions. Kinetic tremor occurs when the affected body part is moved to and from a target; for example picking up a cup and bringing to toward the mouth to drink. Sometimes, the tremor can be task-specific and only occurs with certain specific limb positions or movements. A common example of this is primary writing tremor. The tremor in an individual patient may actually have more than one component.