{"id":376868,"date":"2026-04-01T18:06:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T18:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/376868\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T18:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T18:06:17","slug":"could-my-tremors-be-a-sign-of-parkinsons-disease-and-when-should-i-see-a-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/376868\/","title":{"rendered":"Could my tremors be a sign of Parkinson\u2019s disease, and when should I see a doctor?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Involuntary movements like a tremor can feel embarrassing or trigger anxiety, and many people choose to hide them out of fear of how others might perceive them \u2013 an experience Canadian-American actor Michael J. Fox and Coronation Street actor Rob Mallard have both publicly spoken out about and know too well.<\/p>\n

However, seeking professional help is one of the best things you can do, as tremors can be a sign of a neurological condition, such as Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

Ahead of World Parkinson\u2019s Day (April 11), we spoke to Laura Phillips, senior helpline advisor at Parkinson\u2019s UK<\/a>, who shared some advice about when to seek help about a tremor.<\/p>\n

What is a tremor and how can it impact someone\u2019s daily life?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Parkinson\u2019s UK defines a tremor<\/a> as an uncontrollable repetitive shaking movement affecting a part of your body, such as your hand or arm.<\/p>\n

Having a tremor can significantly interfere with a person\u2019s ability to carry out daily tasks, says Phillips.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, doing something fairly straightforward without a tremor, like doing up a zip, buttons or your shoelaces, might be quite difficult for someone who\u2019s experiencing a tremor,\u201d says Phillips.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, a lot of people also express concern about how their tremor might impact their ability to drive safely and a Parkinson\u2019s diagnosis would have to be reported to the DVLA immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is a tremor always a sign of Parkinson\u2019s disease?<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\u201cA tremor is one of the most common types of motor symptoms that people experience with Parkinson\u2019s, but a tremor isn\u2019t always a sign of Parkison\u2019s,\u201d clarifies Phillips. \u201cSome people with Parkinson\u2019s never even experience a tremor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, it\u2019s important to add that some other neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can also led to tremors.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the NHS website<\/a>, a tremor often becomes more noticeable under specific physiological and emotional stressors, for example, when you are stressed, tired, anxious or angry, after drinking caffeine or alcohol, after smoking, as you get older, or if you\u2019re very hot or cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiredness, stress and anxiety can all have a significant impact on people who have Parkinson\u2019s symptoms,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cPeople with a tremor who have Parkinson\u2019s often say that their tremor is much worse when they\u2019re experiencing any period of stress or anxiety or if they\u2019ve had a bad night\u2019s sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NHS website also states that some medicines and conditions can also cause a tremor, but recommends speaking to your GP before you stop taking any prescribed medication.<\/p>\n

What might indicate that a tremor could be a sign of Parkinson\u2019s disease?<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

While everyone experiences Parkinson\u2019s differently, a lot of people living with the condition experience resting tremors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Parkinson\u2019s, usually someone will experience a tremor at rest, as opposed to an action tremor (which occurs during voluntary muscle movement) or an intense tremor,\u201d says Phillips.<\/p>\n

According to Parkinson\u2019s UK\u2019s website, a resting tremor often affects your hands and legs and usually appears as a \u201cpill-rolling\u201d tremor, which looks like you\u2019re trying to roll a pill between your thumb and the finger next to it (your index finger).<\/p>\n

While a resting tremor is a hallmark of Parkinson\u2019s disease, it is rarely the only symptom. Therefore, it\u2019s important to note down any other accompanying symptoms that you are experiencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther less noticeable symptoms include your speech getting quieter, handwriting getting smaller (often referred to as micrographia) and losing your sense of smell,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cTrouble with balance, pain, stiffness and fatigue are also very common, but more subtle, symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

When should someone seek medical attention about a tremor?<\/p>\n

The NHS website recommends seeing a GP if you have a tremor or shaking hands and it\u2019s getting worse over time, and is affecting your daily activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know yourself better than anyone else so it\u2019s important to seek help if something is not normal for you,\u201d says Phillips. \u201cIt may not be Parkinson\u2019s, there could be other reasons for the symptoms that you are experiencing, but it\u2019s always good to go and get it checked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making notes of any symptoms that frequently appear and when they happen can be helpful.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping a timeline of symptoms can really help medical professionals distinguish any patterns and identify whether it looks like a common pattern for Parkinson\u2019s or if something else is potentially going on,\u201d says Phillips.<\/p>\n

What questions is a doctor likely to ask?<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\u201cFirstly, a doctor will want to ask lots of different types of questions about your general health to rule out key things like dehydration and medical infections that could be causing similar symptoms,\u201d says Phillips.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also likely that they will ask questions about when you first noticed the tremor and when it tends to happen. For example, is it happening when you\u2019re sitting and watching the TV, or is it happening when you\u2019re reaching for something in the cupboard? Is it worse or better at different times of day?\u201d<\/p>\n

If a GP suspects Parkinson\u2019s, they will refer you to a specialist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe consultant will continue to rule out other things and may send you for particular types of scans, such as CT scans or MRI scans to see if there\u2019s any underlying things that could be causing the symptoms,\u201d says Phillips.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people will also have a specialist type of scan, called a DAT scan (Dopamine Transporter Scan), which helps identify the activity of dopamine in a person\u2019s brain, which is the neurotransmitter that is lacking in the person\u2019s brain when they have got Parkinson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Involuntary movements like a tremor can feel embarrassing or trigger anxiety, and many people choose to hide them…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,86040,109038,61,60,33479,168674,41427,168675],"class_list":{"0":"post-376868","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-and-wellbeing","10":"tag-health-lifestyle","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-parkinsons","14":"tag-parkinsons-uk","15":"tag-tremor","16":"tag-world-parkinsons-day"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}