Can Essential Tremor Be Treated Without Brain Surgery? A Complete Guide

Can Essential Tremor Be Treated Without Brain Surgery? A Complete Guide

Essential tremor is the most prevalent neurological movement disorder. It primarily leads to shaking of the hands. Other body parts which can be affected include the head, voice, or legs. Essential tremor is not fatal, but makes normal daily activities, like writing, eating, and drinking from a cup, extremely difficult.

Traditionally, people thought that only brain surgery could successfully treat severe tremors. But, thanks to advancements in medicine and technology, there are a number of non-surgical ways to treat essential tremor, including: medication, lifestyle changes, and most recently, focused ultrasound technology.

By exploring these methods, patients and caregivers can identify the best treatment plans that meet the needs of tremor patients.

What is Essential Tremor?

Essential tremor is a type of neurological disorder that involves shaking, most commonly, of the hands. The shaking becomes more severe or more easily seen during tasks like writing, using eating utensils, or drinking (lifting a glass).

Essential tremors don’t have the extra symptoms seen in Parkinson’s disease. For example, tremors don’t usually cause stiffness of the muscles, slow movements, etc. That said, tremors may still worsen over time and can cause issues with day-to-day activities.

Essential tremors typically have no identifiable cause. It tends to run in families, indicating that there may be a genetic predisposition. It is seen more commonly in older adults.

Essential tremor symptoms manifest differently in everyone. For some, it is just a slight tremor that leads to little day-to-day disruption. For others, the symptoms can be more aggressive and can cause disruptions to daily activities.

Symptoms of Essential Tremor

• Shakiness of arms and hands
• Arms and hands can shake when writing or while gripping something, and can interfere with the activity at hand.
• Shakiness of the head
• This can be from a nodding motion or an isometric shake of the head.
• Shakiness of the voice
• This can cause the voice to sound unsteady.
• Precise movements can become difficult
• Closing a shirt with a button, or using a tool that is so minute, can become impossible.

Tremors are also more likely to happen as a result of stress, tiredness, or increased caffeine consumption.

How to Determine Whether You Have Essential Tremors

Usually, it needs more than one visit to a doctor to diagnose Essential Tremors, commonly a neurologist. There is no one test to diagnose essential tremors. Every doctor evaluates a patient on a clinical basis.

• Look into the patient’s medical history
• Ask the patient questions about when the tremors occur and how they impact their day-to-day lives
• Perform a neurological examination assessing movement, coordination, and reflexes

Doctors will also monitor the patient if tremors are present when the patient is moving and when the patient is resting. It is important to know how to differentiate essential tremors from Parkinson’s condition.

For some patients who might have other brain problems, a neurologist might consider conducting imaging tests to rule out other issues.

Using Medication to Treat Essential Tremors

Essential tremors can also be treated with medication. The aim of the medication is to target the nerves that are involved in the movement as well as hypokinesia. The tremors will be significantly reduced, and a patient will be able to function as a fully capable person.

However, not every medication will completely remove the tremors. There are patients who have experienced some side effects. This is especially the case for patients who have been on certain classes of medications for a very long time.

Lifestyle Changes

There are some everyday habits that can reduce the severity of the tremors. Some examples of this include:

• Cutting back on caffeine
• Managing your stress through relaxation techniques
• Getting sufficient sleep
• Using special utensils or aids

These habits are unlikely to completely remove tremors, but can help with daily activities.

Focusing ultrasound: An alternative that does not involve surgery

An innovative modern approach to essential tremors is MR-guided Focused Ultrasound. It is a promising treatment that does not require surgery for unmedicated tremors.

Ultrasound focuses on a particular area of the brain responsible for tremors using a strong and highly concentrated beam. It is guided by an MRI and performed inside the MRI scanner.

Compared to traditional brain surgery, focused ultrasound is better since:

• No incision is needed
• No surgical devices are needed
• The ultrasound is directed to the brain and skull areas that are remote to the nerves and has a brain effect.

Most surgical treatments have a longer recovery time. Focused ultrasound has a short recovery time. Most patients notice an improvement in their tremors after focused ultrasound.

Technological innovation is the key driving force behind the development of new treatment approaches. Advanced Neuromodulation Technologies (ANT) collaborates with Vattikuti Technologies to develop new technologies in the precise neurological treatment field. Vattikuti Technologies also promotes the use of new, less invasive, and more effective treatment methods, which help improve the quality of the treatment of patients with movement disorders.

When is Surgery an Option?

Not all patients will require surgery for essential tremor. For instance, some patients will most likely respond to surgery more than others. In this case, patients may be considered for an operation known as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). In this neurosurgical procedure, an implant is placed in the brain to control an area that is dysfunctional, which, in this case, controls the tremor.

Improving Treatment Options

There is hope and growing optimism for patients with essential tremors. Within the past few years, with the development of more advanced and effective medications, therapy, and focused ultrasound technology, patients have more treatment options than just brain surgery. The most effective plans have early intervention, and they will have the greatest impact when paired with advanced diagnostic systems and neurology care.

Technology and ongoing research will continue to provide better options for the management of essential tremors.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is there a way to treat essential tremors without brain surgery?
Yes, there are lots of different ways to treat essential tremors without brain surgery. Many people find that medications, changes to daily life (like keeping a daily planner to organize their day), or different kinds of therapies work to manage the symptoms. Also, there are some cases where a non-invasive option (like MR-guided focused ultrasound treatment) can be used to treat essential tremors.

2. Is focused ultrasound a safe way to treat essential tremors?
Yes, focused ultrasound is safe, and it is a great way to treat essential tremors. As long as the doctor is experienced and the procedure is done properly, it is a safe option, as it is a non-invasive procedure (not surgical) and it does not need any surgical cuts made to the body or any surgical devices put into the body.

3. When does a person need to see a doctor regarding their tremors?
If the tremors do not go away, worsen, or make it difficult to do daily tasks, it would be best to see a neurologist. There are a lot of new innovations supported by research and organizations such as Vattikuti Technologies, so people are able to get access to these new technologies that help with movement disorders.