Tremor might be the most frustrating symptom I’ve faced—because it affects everything. While most people associate it with the hands, it can also impact the torso, legs, head, and even the vocal cords.
In my case, it started suddenly. Due to neurotoxicity, I experienced a severe onset of ataxia within days. My muscles stopped working. My cerebellum and balance system shut down. Every movement caused my entire body to tremble. My hands, torso, legs, head… and even my voice. Because my vocal cords were affected, even simple syllables came out with a shaky sound. My hands were the scariest—anything I tried to hold would fly out of my grip.
But after two years of intense work, my tremors have significantly decreased. Since my ataxia is not degenerative, my cerebellum learned to recover—thanks to the incredible power of neuroplasticity.
🧠 What Is Tremor?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS):
“Tremor is a neurological condition that includes shaking or trembling movements in one or more parts of the body, most commonly affecting a person’s hands. It can also occur in the arms, legs, head, vocal cords, and torso. Tremor may be constant or intermittent and can be associated with other neurological disorders.”
Tremor may worsen with stress, anxiety, fatigue, or specific movements (e.g., strength training).
✨ Symptoms
Tremor is defined as involuntary, rhythmic shaking. Symptoms can vary depending on the type and cause but often include:
- Shaking in hands, arms, legs, head, voice, or torso
- Shaky hands when writing, eating, or using tools
- Quivering voice (voice tremor)
- Head nodding (side to side or up and down)
- Clumsiness or unsteady coordination
- Tremors that worsen with movement or stress
- Fine motor difficulties (like buttoning or tying)
- Fatigue due to loss of control
- Imbalance, especially if the cerebellum is involved
🔍 Types of Tremor
Tremors are generally classified into two main categories:
1. Resting Tremor
Occurs when the muscle is at rest. Often seen in Parkinson’s disease.
2. Action Tremor
Happens during voluntary movement. Subtypes include:
- Postural Tremor – When holding a position (e.g., arms outstretched)
- Kinetic Tremor – During movement (e.g., reaching)
- Intention Tremor – Intensifies near a target, often seen in cerebellar disorders
- Isometric Tremor – During muscle contraction without movement (e.g., holding a book)
🌀 What Is Ataxic Tremor?
Ataxic tremor is a type of intention tremor caused by cerebellar damage—affecting balance and coordination. It tends to be slow, irregular, and worsens toward the end of a movement.
🔍 Key Features:
- Caused by cerebellar atrophy, stroke, MS, or inherited disorders like spinocerebellar ataxia
- Appears as a wide-amplitude intention tremor
- Often includes gait ataxia, clumsiness, and coordination difficulties
- Voice and trunk can also be involved
Example: When reaching to touch your nose, the hand may shake more the closer it gets. Or like this:
🎯 Common Causes
- Neurological conditions (e.g., Parkinson’s, MS, stroke)
- Genetics (e.g., essential tremor)
- Medications or toxins
- Endocrine issues (e.g., hyperthyroidism)
- Psychogenic causes (e.g., functional tremor, stress)
🧪 Diagnosis
Diagnosis involves:
- Neurological exams and history
- Lab tests for metabolic causes
- Brain imaging (MRI/CT)
- Functional movement assessments
🛠️ Treatment Options
Depending on the cause:
- Medications: Beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol), anti-seizure drugs
- Physical & occupational therapy
- Surgery: Deep brain stimulation (for severe cases)
- Lifestyle: Reduce caffeine, manage stress
🌱 What Helped Me?
After leaving the hospital, I began physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy—without skipping a day. (You can read my story here)
🏋️♀️ Core Work
I trained my core muscles daily—crunches, bridges, etc.—to stabilize my body.
🚶♀️ Walking
Regular walking helped reduce tremor in my legs and feet, using body weight to anchor the movements.
🔘 Approximation
What is approximation?
It’s a physical therapy technique that gently compresses joints to improve proprioceptive input and stability.
Why it's used:
- Enhances posture and balance
- Regulates muscle tone
- Stimulates deep sensory feedback
- Improves motor control
Example: Applying gentle downward pressure to the shoulder joint while stabilizing posture.
🧤 Functional Stability
- I used therapy putty and clay to stabilize fingers.
- Added wrist and ankle weights to reduce tremor and improve control.
- Practiced planks, quadruped holds, and Pilates ball exercises.
☕ Lifestyle Adjustments
- I avoided caffeine and alcohol.
- Used thicker pens and weighted cutlery to manage hand tremors.
- For voice tremor, I did daily vocal exercises (like humming “mm,” straw-in-water breathing, etc.).
💬 Final Words
These methods helped me significantly reduce my tremors. What made the biggest difference?
👉 Consistency.
Neuroplasticity loves repetition. I made these practices part of my daily life—and that’s where the real change began.
✨ Click here to read my daily routine
📲 Follow my journey and exercises on Instagram:
@orangehealingblog
