For millions of Americans living with essential tremor, everyday tasks like writing, eating, or drinking can become increasingly difficult as uncontrollable shaking progresses over time.

On We Are Austin, Ruth Essler and her physician, movement disorder specialist Dr. Philip Tipton, shared Ruth’s experience with the condition and discussed treatment options that may help patients regain control of their daily lives.

When Tremors Begin to Take Over

For Ruth, the symptoms started gradually.

“What started as very minor shaking of the hands progressively got worse,” she said. “I was later diagnosed with essential tremor.”

Initially, medication helped manage her symptoms, but over time its effectiveness declined.

“At that point, I needed to speak to Dr. Tipton about other options,” she said.

Exploring New Treatment Options

Dr. Tipton explained that essential tremor is a progressive movement disorder that most commonly causes shaking in the hands during everyday activities.

“It can lead to significant interference with day-to-day activities like eating, writing and drinking,” he said.

While medications can help many patients, they don’t work equally well for everyone.

“Like roughly half of patients, Ruth wasn’t able to get the mileage she was looking for with these therapies,” Dr. Tipton said.

That’s when they began discussing deep brain stimulation (DBS).

How Deep Brain Stimulation Works

Unlike medications, DBS uses implanted electrodes to deliver carefully controlled electrical signals to targeted areas of the brain involved in movement.

“When we provide that electrical signal, we’re able to improve those movement symptoms,” Dr. Tipton explained. “In Ruth’s case, that was improved tremor.”

A Life-Changing Result

For Ruth, the results were immediate.

“The moment I came out of surgery, I had an immediate benefit,” she said. “No more shaking.”

She says the procedure restored her ability to perform everyday activities independently.

“All the things I couldn’t do before, I was able to do,” Ruth said. “I became a fully functional and independent person again.”

Learn More

Dr. Tipton encourages anyone living with essential tremor to speak with a healthcare provider about available treatment options.

Additional information about deep brain stimulation, including important safety information, can be found at DBSandMe.com.