Essential Tremor

Essential tremor is a movement disorder that causes parts of your body to shake. This kind of shaking isn’t controllable, and you can’t keep yourself from doing it. Essential tremor usually affects your hands and arms but can also affect your head, voice and other body parts.

In its advanced stages, this condition can severely disrupt some of the most basic tasks and parts of life, such as eating, drinking and dressing yourself. Many people also struggle with feelings of embarrassment or anxiety about the symptoms of this condition.

What is the difference between essential tremor vs. Parkinson’s disease?

Essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease are both movement disorders that involve some kind of tremor.

Who does essential tremor affect?

Essential tremor can happen to anyone, though it’s more common as people age. It’s most likely to start between ages 10 and 19 or between 50 and 59. This disorder also tends to run in families and is sometimes called “familial tremor.”

How common is essential tremor?

Essential tremor is common. Experts estimate that it affects about 1% of all people worldwide, and about 5% of people over age 60. It’s the most common form of tremor and one of the most common movement disorders.

How does essential tremor affect my body?

Essential tremor causes parts of your body to shake when you try to use them. This is usually a problem when using your hands but can also affect your head, voice and other body parts. Essential tremor is a condition that gets worse slowly, taking years to reach levels where it starts to disrupt a person’s life.

In the earlier stages, essential tremor isn’t a problem. Some people may find it makes certain activities harder, but many can compensate. However, as the condition worsens, it can cause problems with fine-detail work and activities, such as handwriting, using eating utensils, sewing or tasks requiring precision.

As essential tremor worsens, this condition can have more severe effects. People who have it may not be able to feed themselves or even cook because of how severely their hands shake. Others may not be able to write, dress, bathe or otherwise take care of themselves.