MRI used to treat essential tremors
Posted on

The 3 Types of Tremors You Should Know About

rhythmic oscillations or movements that occur involuntarily in any body part. They’re uncontrollable and unintentional movements that may occur at any given time due to a problem in the region of the brain responsible for muscular movement.

Tremors aren’t necessarily severe or life threatening. They can be treated, and may even disappear on their own. In many cases, though, tremors can indicate a neurological disorder such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.

How Are Tremors Classified?

There are two main types of tremors: resting tremors and action tremors.

Resting tremors occur when your body is at rest and the muscles are relaxed. For instance, they may occur when you’re lying down or when your hands are idle by your side. Action tremors occur when there’s muscular movement, such as when you’re walking or performing a task. They can be further categorized into postural, kinetic, and task-specific tremors.

Common Types of Tremors

Brain imaging

 

Tremors are There are more than 20 types of tremors. The most common ones include the following:

Essential Tremors

Essential tremors are classified as movement disorders. These are postural tremors that typically occur on both sides of the body. However, the symptoms are usually more prominent on the person’s dominant side. Essential tremors usually affect the hands and arms, but they may also impact the lower limbs, vocal cords, and head.

Essential tremor disorder is most prevalent among older individuals. It’s the most common type of trembling disorder, resulting in excessive shaking and uncontrollable movement.

Parkinsonian Tremors

Most people with Parkinson’s disease experience a specific type of resting tremors. These are characterized by a slow, pill-rolling movement in the fingers. In addition to the hands, Parkinsonsonian tremors can also affect the lips, chin, arms, and legs.

Dystonic Tremors

As the name suggests, dystonic tremors affect people with dystonia—a movement disorder that results in involuntary muscle contractions. Individuals with dystonia often experience these tremors, causing them to exhibit repetitive motions, twisting, twitching, or abnormal postures. However, these tremors are irregular and may disappear upon complete rest.

Tremor Treatments in Houston

Houston Physicians’ Hospital provides tremor treatments. We use MR-guided focused ultrasound procedures for essential tremor treatments. We can provide Parkinson’s treatments using the same procedure.

Visit our website to learn more about our specialty hospital in Houston and to find a doctor who’s right for you—whether you need treatment for tremors, upper back treatments, hip surgery, or joint pain treatments.

 

 

A person with an arthritic hand holds a crayon while coloring.
Posted on

5 Critical Risk Factors for Arthritis

Arthritis is a degenerative condition of the joints that can have incredibly painful progression and be quite debilitating. Since the condition does not really have a cure and is chronic, it’s best to take early action to control the symptoms that could affect your health.

Among the factors that increase the risk of developing arthritis are the following:

Family History

One of the biggest risk factors for developing arthritis is having a family history of it. Although we don’t fully understand the link between them or what the exact cause is, having a family member, such as a parent, a sibling, or even an aunt or uncle, with arthritis may increase your chances of developing it. Certain genetic markers impact the development of types of arthritis, including rheumatoid and psoriatic.

Obesity and High Body Weight

Higher body weight, or being obese, also significantly increases the chance of developing arthritis because it puts increased pressure and stress on the joints. You’re more likely to develop arthritis, especially in the knees, ankles, and hips, which is why it’s necessary to maintain a healthy weight and keep pressure off your joints.

Age

Age is another common contributor to the development of arthritis and linked conditions. Continued wear and tear, occupational injuries, and other types of age-related activities can really take a toll on your joints and tendons, triggering the onset of arthritis. It’s why many older people develop certain types of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis, which is also linked to bone deterioration.

Previous Injury

What many people do not realize is that previous injuries also affect the development of arthritis. Trauma on a joint such as fractures, sprains, strains, and other injuries can lead to post-traumatic arthritis, which is difficult to manage because it happens suddenly and often intensely.

Infections and Diseases

Many infections, especially bacterial and viral, can cause deterioration of the joints and cartilage, leading to arthritis. There may be sepsis that triggers it or other diseases such as autoimmune disorders.

 

Houston Physicians’ Hospital allows you to find an orthopedic specialist in Houston, TX, who can help you find relief from arthritis symptoms. Let our experienced care team and orthopedic surgeons in Houston diagnose and treat your arthritis with the goal of slowing down its progression and reducing your pain.

 

A person with back pain holds their waist in pain.
Posted on

What Is Inflammatory Back Pain?

Sixteen million adults in the U.S. suffer from some form of chronic or recurring back pain, which affects their activity levels, movement, and overall health and well-being. Back pain can result from a number of issues, including injuries, accidents, age, health conditions, and general inflammation.

Inflammatory back pain is a lot more common than we realize and affects millions of people each year. It’s a form of chronic back pain that is located at the axial spine and sacroiliac joints in particular.

Here’s what is important to know about it and how you can identify it:

Inflammatory Back Pain Starts before 40

Age is a major factor in mechanical back pain, which is why if you’re struggling with chronic, off-and-on-again back pain well before your 40s, it could be due to inflammation. People who are younger than 40 and generally healthy, without a history of past injury or other orthopedic conditions, are more prone to inflammatory pain.

It Responds Well to NSAIDs for Pain Management

Unlike certain other types of back pain, inflammatory pain responds well to NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and other common anti-inflammatory medications. You might not need prescription-strength medication to manage pain, and it may subside on its own.

Exercise and Physical Activity Help Alleviate It

Lack of movement and sleeping can trigger inflammatory back pain, but physical activity such as exercise, stretching, and walking can help manage it. Morning stiffness and pain are most commonly associated with inflammation, which tends to subside as the day goes on so that you’re likely to experience some form of relief from it. If this sounds familiar, consult a spine specialist and a pain specialist in Houston, TX.

It May Be Linked to Other Symptoms of Inflammation

Another very common symptom or sign of inflammatory back pain is that it’s probably linked to other types of inflammation. Inflammatory bowel disorder, psoriasis, and joint pain in other parts of the body are some of the other issues that exist with it.

 

It’s important to consult an orthopedic spine specialist in Houston, TX, who can help you manage back pain and develop a treatment plan that will be the most effective for you. Our spine center at Houston Physicians’ Hospital is home to some of the most skilled and experienced specialists in the region. Visit our website to find a doctor who’s right for you.

 

A woman stretches her neck sideways with her hand on the opposite side.
Posted on

Why Am I Having Neck Muscle Spasms? How Can I Treat Them?

Neck muscle spasms can feel like muscle tightness, stiffness, and sharp or achy pain, which can make movement incredibly difficult and painful for the sufferer. Your range of motion is typically more limited, and it’s harder to turn your head sideways or even stretch it properly for release.

But what causes muscle spasms to begin with? Let’s take a look at some of the many potential causes.

Herniated Discs

Herniated discs in the spinal column can cause inflammation in surrounding muscles and lead to spasms in the neck. Issues with intervertebral discs or the cervical spine in general need to be addressed quickly by a spine specialist so that the patient can seek treatment before the condition worsens.

Strains and Sprains

Sprains and strains can happen for various reasons, including moving your neck too fast, jerking and other sudden movements, injuries and accidents, and even sleeping in the wrong position. Basically, they occur when you stretch too far too quickly, injuring a ligament and causing healthy muscles to tighten and spasm as a protective measure.

Other times, strain on the muscle due to physical activity or carrying heavy bags, or even kids, can lead to muscle spasms.

A young man grips his neck in pain.

Facet Joint Arthritis

This chronic, degenerative condition can cause severe pain in the back and spine, making it very difficult to carry on day-to-day tasks and work as per your usual routine. A condition such as this requires a proper treatment plan and measures to slow down its progression, which is why we recommend setting up a consultation at the Houston Physicians’ Hospital spine center in Houston as soon as possible.

How Do You Treat Muscle Spasms?

Muscle spasms are treated in various ways. A spine specialist or multiple healthcare providers, including physical therapists, may come up with a plan to treat your spasms via stretches, intramuscular steroids—or other injections—medications, and addressing the root cause of your spasms if they’re a recurring issue.

Set up an appointment at one of the leading spine centers in Houston, TX, at Houston Physicians’ Hospital. You’ll find some of the most experienced spine specialists in Houston who can help manage and treat your neck spasms. Visit our website to find the right doctor for you and schedule an appointment directly with their office.