Essential Tremor Treatments in Australia

17 Feb 2023

This article sets out to uncover the current treatments for Essential Tremor in Australia.

Join us on the journey. There are alot of options out there as it turns out!

What is Essential Tremor

Tremors impact about 9% of the global population – which is equivalent of around 2.3 million Australians!

Essential tremor is a nervous system (neurological) disorder that causes involuntary and rhythmic shaking. It is the most common cause of shaking, and usually affects the hands first. The head, arms, jaw, tongue and legs can also be affected. Some people develop a shaky voice.

Typically,tremors worsen when people’s hands are being used and reduce or stop altogether when hands are at rest.

Essential tremor is usually not a dangerous condition, but it typically worsens over time and can be quite severe for some people. Essential tremor is sometimes confused with Parkinson’s disease. In Parkinson’s disease tremors are typically worse at rest and improve on use.

Essential tremor can occur at any age but is most common in people age 40 and older. The cause is unknown, though some medications, brain injury or degenerative diseases can cause it. A genetic link is strongly suspected and often seen as a pattern within families. In-fact you have a 1 in 2 chance of inheriting essential tremor if one of your parents have it. There is no cure for essential tremor.

Tremors result in Australian’s facing a loss of independence; struggling with activities like writing, eating and drinking, preparing meals, maintaining hygiene and grooming, dressing and even walking and exercising. For many people it leads to a decrease in their quality of life. It can lead to an increase in social isolation, with people feeling embarrassed and not wanting to go out. It can also lead to a significant hit to people’s hip pockets, as they manage treatments and the resulting loss of independence and isolation.

What sort of treatments are available

for Essential Tremor in Australia?

Lifestyle

If you have essential tremor, you may find that some things make your tremor worse. Things such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, stress and even some medicines like Ritalin, lithium or asthma medications can be tremor culprits.

Yoga and meditation can be effective in reducing stress (which can be a culprit behind increased tremors). The increasingly popular practice of mindfulness and deep breathing techniques can calm the mind and body, reducing the frequency and severity of tremors. There are some fantastic on-line mindfulness and yoga resources online to try out.

Making specific lifestyle changes can help reduce the symptoms of tremors. This can include getting enough sleep, avoiding stressful situations, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake and eating a balanced diet. Exercise can also be beneficial for improving overall health and reducing tremors. Making lifestyle changes and finding the right combination of treatments can help to reduce the impact of tremors on daily life. It’s important to work with your own healthcare professional to create a plan that works specifically for you.

Medications and supplements

Your doctor may prescribe various medications to help to supress the tremor, by reducing the activity of the nerves that control movement. Medications might include;

A muscle relaxant (a medication called a benzodiazepine) – like alprazolam
Anti-seizure medications – such as gabapentin
Beta-blocker medications (often used to lower blood pressure) like propranolol
Botox Injections – (known as onabotulinumtoxina). These injections improve tremor conditions by paralysing nerve cells and the muscle, therefore, stopping the tremors temporarily

Supplements such as magnesium, vitamin B6, and ginkgo biloba can help reduce tremors by addressing any underlying deficiencies or imbalances in the body.

As with all medications, there can be side-effects and they may not be effective for all people, so it is important to talk through the risks and benefits with your doctor to find what best works for you, before you commence on a new medication or supplement.

Medical Interventions

In some cases, surgery may be recommended to reduce tremors. This type of surgery is known as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and involves implanting electrodes in the brain to control the activity of the nerves that control hand movement. The procedure is done with precise accuracy, guided by high-resolution imaging and mapping of the brain to ensure that the electrodes are placed in the correct location. After surgery, there is the ability to further fine tune the electrodes which can be adjusted after the surgery to increase its effectiveness in reducing tremors.

MRI guided focused ultrasound has been getting some recent attention as a treatment option for tremor. In this non-invasive treatment, the person is conscious whilst the head is enclosed within an MRI scanner and directs high frequency ultrasound waves through the scalp. An ultrasound energy is directed onto a focal point within the brain responsible for the tremor. This procedure first performs non-permanent test lesions to assess the benefits and rule out side effects, before creating a small, permanent lesion. This final lesion has the effect of interrupting the neurological pathway that is responsible for the tremor.

Despite many people being weary of these options, given the need for medical intervention and the associated large out of pocket expenses[1][2] , DBS and MRI guided focused ultrasound are both seen as effective treatments for some individuals with severe tremors that other methods cannot control.

As with any medical intervention, it is important to thoroughly discuss the risks and benefits with your own doctor before deciding to undergo this type of intervention.

Allied Health Treatments

Activities such as squeezing a stress ball; practicing your writing (now is the time to get yourself a pen-pal!) and drawing have been shown to help with tremor in the hand.

Exercises designed explicitly for hand tremors and prescribed by Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists who specialise in this area, can also be helpful.

Use of Independent living aides

Independent living aides allow people to stop or reduce their tremors naturally, without having to take medication or undergo invasive procedures.

The choices are, in short, overwhelming! There is so much to choose from.

Occupational Therapists are fantastic in being able to guide people in the use of independent living aides to increase their independence. There is a series of organisations in Australia (previously known as Independent Living Centres, now sadly decentralised) that specialise in independent living aides. If you write ‘independent living centre’ into your favourite search engine – you will get some options for your local area.

There are a number of independent living aides out there – there are those that are task-specific and then there are those that are ‘all-in-ones that can help with a multitude of devices. Below we have listed a few of our firm favourites to assist with hand tremor – in a quest to help you find the one that might be right for you.

Utensils and Kitchen Aides

There are so many kitchen aide options available to us in Australia. Sites such as www.bettercaremarket.com.au have some great ideas. Here are some gems;

Weighted Cutlery – this extra weight helps to minimise tremors while you eat
Steady spoon by Elispoon – is a self-stabilising spoon that uses counterweights and rotation axes
The Spilnot – a solution for people wanting to carry an open hot drink or bowl of liquid such as soup
Gyenno Bravo twist – a clever self-stabilising fork and spoon
Cut resistant gloves – a low-cost option to minimise the hazards of meal preparation when your hands are tremoring

Clothing

Button hooks – make doing up buttons so much easier when you have a tremor
Slip-on shoes
Hickies – no tie shoe laces, turn your shoes into slips-ons
Adaptive clothing – using magnets, Velcro and other easy closures. There are some fantastic, innovative, Australian sites, such as everyhuman.com.au.

Writing

Weighted pen or pencil weights – can assist to dampen the tremor
Writing pens with a built-up grip can help decrease the amplitude of tremor

Apps for your smart device

There are literally hundreds of apps designed to help use smart technology, when you have a tremor. Check out Apple store or Google to find an app that might suit you. These are some of our favourites;

Big Launcher – allows for minimised need to swipe the screen, larger icons and safety features to prevent you pressing the incorrect buttons.
Typeway -is a custom keyboard that allows you to adjust the spacing and placement of letters to suit your own typing style
Abilipad – this is a customisable notepad and keyboard app that has advanced word prediction and text-to speech options
Speech recognition software – allows you to talk to text
Liftpulse app – is an application for mobile phones that records your tremor and allows you to monitor and measure it at home

All-in-one – Tremor reduction orthotics/gloves

Wearable tremor gloves are becoming increasingly popular among those who suffer from tremors due to Essential Tremors. With these revolutionary gloves, people can reduce or completely eliminate their handshaking through sensors and vibration motors. This leads to improved dexterity and more accurate movements for writing, eating, dressing and other activities we do on a day-to-day basis. Wearable tremor gloves offer an effective solution that carry none of the risks associated with other treatments, making them far more desirable for many people suffering from Essential Tremor.

Tremor gloves offer a unique advantage over other treatments, such as medications and Allied Health treatments. They can be used daily without requiring medication, additional devices or equipment. Additionally, the effects of tremor gloves are often more pronounced than other treatments, providing excellent stability and reducing tremors more quickly.

Tremor gloves are an innovative and effective way to manage tremor symptoms. Knitted with a custom-fit design and containing adjustable bands for increased resistance, tremor gloves enable users to restore their dexterity through regular use quickly. Compared to other tremor treatments, tremor gloves provide a comfortable solution with minimal hassle; users can do everyday activities without worrying about handshaking, knowing that the tremor gloves will restrict any excess movement and give them the ability to function normally. The added benefit of tremor gloves is their stress relief, which in turn helps reduce symptoms.

How can the Steadi-Two glove help people with Essential Tremor?

Steadi-Two is a battery-free tremor reduction glove designed to instantly reduce hand tremor, for people that have Essential tremor.

This design is incredibly, based on earthquake proof engineering. Likened to a see-saw in a playground. The tremor reducing disk is controlled by custom-made magnets, which respond to your tremor by providing an equal and opposite force – reducing the ‘magnitude’ of the tremor.

In fact, benchtop testing demonstrated Steadi-Two lead to an 80% reduction of tremor amplitude!

What are Steadi-Two’s benefits?

The Steadi-Two is stacked with features;

Instant relief – You fit it to your hand and you will feel it working
It is ambidextrous – use it on your left OR right hand, without adjustments

It is lightweight – The stabiliser comes in at around 430gms!
It is battery free!
Medically non-intrusive – The Steadi-Two is designed to control tremors WITHOUT medication OR the risks associated with surgery OR powered aide
Machine washable – Once the glove is detached from the stabiliser, you pop it in washing machine to keep it clean
2 Tremor settings included – The Steadi-Two targets a broad range of tremors. Within the one device, you are able to select mild to severe to suit your needs
Suits multiple activities – This is not a single action device. You can use it for multiple activities. Drinking; putting on mascara; searching the web; jigsaws; eating; shaving; texting on your phone, building the latest and greatest Lego creation….…the list is endless!

How to use the Steadi-Two

The glove works instantly. You slip the glove onto your hand, adjust it to fit, then place the stabiliser on – it’s that simple!

Can I use NDIS, my aged care package or through Private health to fund a Steadi-Two?

If the goals of your NDIS or Aged care package see you working towards increasing your independence and that goal is being hampered by your tremors, then yes you can use this assistive technology to help you meet that goal. Your package provider will usually want a written quote or in some instances request a recommendation from an Allied Health Practitioner. Healthport is able to work with the Allied Health Practitioner of your choice and can provide a written quote if needed. Just speak to us to find out how.

If you have assistive technology covered by your private health fund – your fund may cover the Steadi-two hand stabilising glove. It is important that you speak to your fund in the first instance.

Where can I get a Steadi-Two to assist with my tremors here in Australia?

Healthport (www.healthport.com.au) are very proud to supply Steadi-Two hand stabilising gloves here in Australia.

You are able to purchase directly from our on-line store www.healthport.com.au.

Alternatively, we are able to work with the Allied Health Practitioner or Specialist of your choice. Your practitioner can contact us to arrange a free trial of the glove prior to purchase.

Healthport proudly partners with PayPal and After Pay. We give you the option to pay for your Steadi-Two in instalments – making purchasing your own Steadi-Two even easier!

Steadi-two has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Return the glove 30 days after it is delivered, if you are not happy with it for any reason.

If you have any questions, about the Steadi-Two, we are all too happy to answer them. Either email us via hello@healthport.com.au or call us ph. 08 71223855

[1] In 2016 the Parkinson’s Association quoted that the level of procedures offered within public health are limited and most people proceeding with DBS will need to enrol in top or premium private health insurance and be able to cover the extensive out of pocket expenses (Range $7000- $25,000) above costs covered by Private health)

[2] The costs of MRI guided ultrasound vary, with one Australian provider quoting $30,000