Empowering Individuals with Hand Tremors: Understanding Causes, Types, and Effective Exercises

Hand tremors can significantly impact a person's daily life, affecting their ability to perform simple tasks and diminishing their quality of life. This blog offers a comprehensive overview of the causes and types of hand tremors, offering a deeper understanding of this condition. However, what makes this blog truly valuable is our focus on equipping you with a comprehensive range of exercises specifically designed to reduce shaking hands. By integrating these exercises into your everyday schedule, you can enhance your dexterity, stability, and independence. At Physiotattva, we aim to empower you with practical solutions that will significantly improve your quality of life. So let's dive in and discover effective strategies to manage hand tremors and regain control over your daily activities.

What are hand tremors?

Tremors are involuntary rhythmic movements occurring in any part of the body. While slight tremors, known as physiological tremors, are common and often harmless, more pronounced or frequent tremors can indicate underlying medical conditions. The intensity and frequency of the trembling can provide valuable insights into the severity of the condition. Understanding the nature of tremors is crucial in recognizing potential health concerns and seeking appropriate medical evaluation and intervention when necessary.

Types of Hand Tremors

Do you experience uncontrollable shaking in your hands? This condition, known as hand tremor, has different manifestations. We will discuss the most common ones—resting tremors, action tremors, and intention tremors—and explain their unique features. 

Resting Tremors

Resting tremors appear while the hands are at rest or in a position of non-movement. Hand tremors can arise suddenly, giving rise to recurrent muscle contractions in the hands.

Action Tremors

Action tremors are shaky movements usually due to muscle fatigue when attempting a task, such as writing or using utensils. However, you will not experience an action tremor if you do the same task repetitively.

Intention Tremors

Intention tremors manifest only when attempting to perform a task and typically get worse as you try to complete it. They range from mild to severe and primarily affect activities requiring steady hands and precision. 

Hand tremors can range from mild to severe—but no matter the intensity level, understanding these common types and their features can lead to better detection and diagnosis.

What Causes Hand Tremors

Understanding the underlying causes of hand tremors is crucial in developing an effective management approach. We will delve into various factors contributing to hand tremors, such as neurological conditions, essential tremors, Parkinson's disease, and medication side effects. Tremors can be normal or a result of neurological disorders, other health problems, or medication use. Below are some frequently encountered causes:

Enhanced Physiological Tremor

This is the most commonly observed and easily recognizable type of tremor that typically manifests in the hands. This can be caused by:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Lack of sleep

This type of tremor usually does not need medical intervention.

Neurological Conditions

Disruption in neurological functioning also results in hand tremors. Various factors can contribute to this, including:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS): This disease is degenerative and affects the central nervous system, causing a delay in relaying messages by nerves. This can result in hand tremors.

• Traumatic Brain Injury: Injuries to the brain can disrupt neurological functioning, impacting how motor responses operate in the body. Injuries specific to some areas of the brain can cause tremors.

• Stroke: After a stroke, severe hand tremors can occur based on the affected area of the brain, significantly impacting daily tasks and quality of life. Stroke rehabilitation plays a crucial role in managing tremors through targeted interventions, exercises, and strategies, promoting motor function recovery and enhancing functional independence.

• Dystonia: It is a movement disorder characterised by involuntary muscle contractions causing repetitive movements and abnormal postures, resulting in repetitive movements and abnormal postures. It is linked to tremors, which can be jerky and irregular, regular and wave-like, or mixed, with hand tremors commonly seen in mixed-type dystonia.

Parkinson's Disease Tremor

Parkinson's disease leads to the degeneration of nerve cells in crucial areas of the brain responsible for motor responses. This lack of nerve cells results in varied intensities of tremors at different emotional periods.

Essential tremors

Essential tremors are often confused with Parkinson's tremors. Outlined below are several key distinctions between the two-

Timing of Tremor

While essential tremor occurs when you use your hands, Parkinson's tremors will happen when your side rests your hands.

Associated conditions

Essential tremor doesn't cause significant health problems, while Parkinson's results in slow movement, stooped postures, and unusual gait.

Hand and wrist exercises for Hand Tremors

Here are some easy-to-do hand and wrist exercises that can help you reduce hand tremors

Squeezing a stress ball for two to 15 seconds and repeating this around 15 times on each hand daily.

Rotating the wrist in slow, circular motions at regular intervals during the day will help prevent synovial fluid from building up, reducing tremors.

Relaxation techniques such as meditation, gentle yoga, and engaging in mindful activities can help reduce stress and positively impact lowering tremors.

Medication for tremors, prescribed by doctors after diagnosis, can also reduce the intensity of hand tremors.

Hand Tremors Exercises For Parkinson's Disease

The following activities are some common hand exercises for Parkinson's.

Squeezing a soft ball by keeping it in the middle of your palm, grasping it tightly for ten seconds, and repeating it regularly.

Clenching and unclenching your fist several times at regular intervals during the day

Tapping your index finger with the upper thumb finger at regular intervals during the day

Bend your fingers down and try to touch the bottom of your palm.

Physiotherapy For Hand Tremor

Physiotherapy can help reduce the intensity of the tremors. It can provide relief with proper care and an exercise regime by trained physiotherapists. Some of them are:

Shoulder Shrugs

This will help increase the frequency of activity between the brain and the arms. The exercise boosts synaptic chain interaction, increasing muscle movement that can help reduce tremors.

Bicep curls

Bicep curls, with the proper guidance by the physiotherapist, can help build muscle in the arm, which can help increase the stability of hand movements, reducing tremors.

Hydrotherapy 

Hydrotherapy can also be a helpful method to deal with tremors and for people with less mobility. Water's buoyancy facilitates gentle movements that gradually enhance over time.

Overcome Hand Tremors & Take Actionable Steps for Better Control 

Regain control over hand tremors, incorporate targeted exercises into your routine to improve stability and quality of life. Seek personalized guidance from our skilled professionals. Start taking actionable steps today with Physiotattva and reclaim your independence!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you fix hand tremors?

Hand tremors can be caused by conditions like Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, or brain injury. Our experts recommend practicing hand and wrist exercises to cope with this condition. Further, physiotherapy offers hydrotherapy, tissue mobilization exercises, and acupuncture to treat hand tremors effectively. 

What is the best exercise for tremors?

Tremors are involuntary and rhythmic muscle contractions that may result from stress or severe medical conditions. Experts recommend hand and wrist exercises to cope with these tremors. The best exercises for the condition include rotating the wrist, shoulder shrugs, bicep curls, and yoga. 

Can shaky hands be fixed?

While there is no permanent cure, shaky hands or tremors can be managed by hand and wrist exercises, medication, relaxation techniques, hydrotherapy, and general lifestyle changes. 

What vitamin is good for hand tremors?

Research shows that Vitamin B12, B-6, or B-1 is essential in coping with hand tremors. These vitamins can be acquired through supplements, medication, or everyday foods (eggs, milk, cereals, animal products).

How do you stop the hands from shaking?

Try relaxation techniques, avoid triggers like caffeine, perform hand exercises, consider medication adjustments, utilize assistive devices, and manage stress to minimize hand shaking. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice.