tremor in index finger

[poisollade]

i am 40 years old, female, since 1month i started having a tremor in right index finger, it started off as very prominent tremor, i had lot of stress and muscle fatigue at the time, now the intensity is decreased but still present, waxes and wanes, i was working a lot, writing, and using my fingers and hands alot in the last 4 months, i delivered a baby in december, i have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome with numbness in the first 31/2 fingers in the night while sleeping, relieved when i wake up with tingling sensation, i am diagnosed with weak joints by a rheumatologist, so i dont know if it is muscle weakness or anything else, since 2 days i am noticing transient sudden pulsations in the left index finger too with fast beat, i was hoping that the tremors will go but they have not, finger pulsations are sideways, and when i feel my fingers too weak, my handwriting becomes small, my dad was diagnosed with parkinsons disease when he was 65 years old, my muscles become weak and painful when i strain too much, i noticed that since 2008 i sometimes feel that i have to drag my legs when i walk too much, i havent noticed it recently, i am scared and want to know if the tremors are parkinsons, muscle weakness or carpal tunnel syndrome, please help me, regards and thanks in advance

[poisollade]

thank you very much, i am so much relieved with your answer, i will start wearing the splint and night, it took great pressure off me as i was so scared that it could be parkinsons disease, and thanks for the early reply, i appreciate it, regards

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Hi, Thank you for question. The symptoms you are describing are associated with impingement of nerve or frank carpal tunnel syndrome in which median nerve is impinged leading to tremor, numbness, tingling sensation or pain. I would advise an orthopedic consultation who may investigate the problem with help of X-ray or MRI of the hand to reach to a probable diagnosis and further treatment required as per the diagnosis achieved. The first line of treatment mostly involves a splint to stabilize the wrist and needs to be worn at night or during the day for several weeks. Surgery may be successful in your case but suggested on severity and duration of nerve compression. Hot and cold compresses may also be helpful. In addition, avoid/reduce the number of repetitive wrist movements whenever possible. Hope this helps.