Essential tremor

We do not know what causes an essential tremor. But it does seem to run in families and is thought to be an inherited condition that you can get from one of your parents (known as autosomal dominant).

Usually, essential tremor will cause your hands to shake, especially when trying to do tasks such as holding a cup, writing or shaving.

Sometimes it may also affect your:

• voice
• head
• arms.

In rare cases, it may affect your legs.

If you have a new tremor, you should see your healthcare provider. They will usually be able to diagnose your condition by:

• talking to you
• examining your nervous system
• doing blood tests or scans to rule out other conditions.

There is no cure for essential tremor. But avoiding things like smoking and vaping, and limiting caffeine and alcohol may help.

You can help manage your tremor by:

• using heavier cups and utensils or a straw for drinking
• if your hand is affected using a computer instead of writing and trying voice-activated commands on your phone and speech recognition software on your computer
• getting enough sleep as fatigue can worsen tremor
• using wrist weights, but only for tasks such as eating, writing or at the computer — these are available from most fitness shops.

Essential tremor usually slowly gets worse over time. Your healthcare provider may refer you to a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist. 

A physiotherapist can teach you exercises to improve your muscle strength, control and coordination. An occupational therapist can help you adapt to living with essential tremor. They might suggest adaptive devices to reduce the effect of tremors on your daily activities. 

If therapy and lifestyle and adaptive measures are not helping your tremor, your healthcare provider may offer medication.

If your tremor is becoming very bad, it may make driving difficult. You should talk to your healthcare provider about this if you or others are concerned about your ability to drive safely.