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Tremor in Left Leg
My uncle is 75yo, 3 years ago his left leg begins shaking on its own while he is sitting watching tv or driving. Once he becomes aware of this or once he moves his leg ever so slightly, the shaking stops. When he is under stress, the shaking becomes more frequent. It only happens occasionally in the beginning, but recently it’s becoming more frequent. So far it has only affected his left leg. Another symptom is when he is holding a heavy object, like a bottle with his left hand, his hand/arm would also start shaking. But unlike the left leg, the hand never shakes at rest. May I know what condition does he have? Anyone with similar symptoms? Please help. Thank you.
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Hello @agodjali2008 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm pleased that you are advocating for your uncle. In our complicated health system, it is important to have someone by our side.
As you may know, Mayo Connect is a patient support network. We are not medical professionals but patients who share their experiences and offer support and encouragement therefore we cannot offer diagnoses,
That being said, there are many reasons why people have tremors. Here are some links to discussions here on Connect where members have discussed tremors:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/orthostatic-tremors/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hand-tremors/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/functional-tremors/
You do not mention if your uncle has any other health problems or symptoms other than tremors. For example, does he have problems with balance, walking, heart problems, vision problems, etc.? Certain medications can cause trembling or tremors. Also, we have many members who were exposed to Agent Orange and have resulting Parkinson's or a tremor disorder. Was your uncle exposed to Agent Orange in the military?
From your post, you do not mention that he has talked with a doctor about these tremors. Is that a correct assumption? If that is the case, it is important that he report this to his primary care physician who might give him a referral to a neurologist.
I hope some of this is helpful to you. I hope that you will post again and let me know how you are doing in coming up with a diagnosis. Will you check out the discussions listed in this post and let me know if anything is helpful to you?
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3 ReactionsHello Teresa, thank you for taking the time to response to my question. I have read through the links that you provided, but none of them seems to fit my uncle’s condition.
My uncle is healthy in general, no other medical condition other than the ones I described. He is also not on any medication currently, except for some vitamins. No exposure to Agent Orange either.
We have seen several neurologists. The first one suspected Parkinson, so my uncle was put on Levodopa, but no sign of improvement after taking the drug for some time, so later the doctor concluded that the initial Parkinson diagnose could be wrong. We also did brain MRI, nothing abnormal was detected.
We went to another doctor, was prescribed Diazepam, but also no effect.
Other doctor only suggested brain vitamins, like BrainAct. The only explanation from the doctor is that it’s a disease associated with old age.
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1 ReactionHello again @agodjali2008
I am really sorry to hear that you have been searching for an answer and have not found one. However, oftentimes neurological difficulties can be very difficult to diagnose. It sounds like you have consulted with a lot of doctors and have not gotten close to a diagnosis or a treatment plan.
Just wondering if your uncle has had any falls related to the tremors? Are these tremors a daily occurrence? Also, what is his level of activity during most days? Does he take walks or is he sedentary?
Has any doctor suggested physical therapy?
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1 ReactionHi Teresa,
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. So far his symptoms have not had any big impact on his daily life. He hasn’t had any fall related to his tremors yet. The tremors do happen daily and the frequency has been increasing lately, especially when he is under stress or has a lot on his minds. Not only the frequency, but the tremor itself has been more major, no longer a slight tremor.
Since he’s already retired, he’s mostly at home. He jogs a little bit, but other than that quite sedentary. He used to be very active and walked a lot for his work. So far no doctor has suggested physical therapy.
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2 ReactionsHello @agodjali2008
You have a good understanding of your uncle's health and that is important as you advocate for him. While I'm not a medical professional, I did a little research on the topic of tremors on Mayo Clinic's website. I found some information there about Essential Tremors. Here is the link,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-tremor/symptoms-causes/syc-20350534
I would encourage you to read it as it sounds very much like your uncle's tremors. If you read the treatment section of this article, there do appear to be some meds that might be helpful. If your uncle's current medical team has not suggested Essential Tremors as a diagnosis, you might consider talking to one of them about this.
Will you keep in touch and let me know how your uncle is doing?
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2 ReactionsHi Teresa,
Thank you again for your reply. We are planning on seeing another doctor sometime in the future, so we will mention ET to the doctor at that time. I will be sure to keep you updated in case we have the right diagnosis. Thanks!
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1 ReactionI certainly wish you and your uncle all the best as you seek treatment for these tremors, @agodjali2008. I'll look forward to you posting again!