My Mother Started Having Shakes In Her Right Hand 3 Years Ago And Was Diagnosed With Parkinson's

Posted on Wed, 9 Apr 2025

Question: My mother started having shakes in her right hand 3 years ago and was diagnosed with Parkinson's. The shakes come when she seems to be mentally and emotionally distressed. Her condition hasn't necessarily become any worse and there is no shake in her left hand. Her MRI doesn't show signs of Parkinson's and her diagnosis is a clinical diagnosis. Could she have been misdiagnosed? Many years ago she had shoulder pain and limited movement in her right shoulder and went for physical therapy and they tested her nerve response and said there was a very little response. They didn't mention anything about parkinson's at the time.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Erion Spaho (34 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Other diagnoses to be included.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to the "Ask a Doctor" service.

I have read your query.

Parkinson's disease diagnosis is mainly clinical, other examinations such as MRI help in the diagnosis.

The main sign in the MRI in cases of Parkinson's is degeneration of the substantia nigra.

The tremor of the Parkinson's is noticed mainly at rest when the tremor is noticed during a movement or is triggered by other factors, conditions such as essential tremor should be considered.

Partial damage of the nerves also may cause some tremors during movements.

So, in my opinion, a reevaluation of the diagnosis is necessary.

Discuss with the Neurologist these issues.

Hope you found the answer helpful.

Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng