A Woodworking Perk

[wjt]

I met a gentleman last evening who told me he does woodworking because it stops the tremors in his hands due to Parkinson's disease.

Bill

[Yetloh]

I have a friend who has exactly the same experience.  In normal conversation when his hands are not occupied, his shake is quite severe.

Jim

[Paul-in-Plymouth]

Maybe I should try it sometime.  ;o)

Actually, Parkinsonian tremor is very often characterized as a “resting tremor.”  That is, the shaking can be inhibited by intentional motion of the affected part, temporarily at least.  The intentional movement of fingers and hands in woodworking can inhibit tremor if the part that’s being intentionally moved is also the part that’s affected by the tremor.  

The problem for me, at least, was that the tremor returned very quickly when the motion stopped or when I stopped thinking about it.  And if I surpressed it too much, it would seem to come back  with a vengeance.  It was as if the tremor wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any of its fun.  

At that point I started taking medications to manage the tremor.  The medications work well for that, but they’re not without their side-effects.

[AHill]

I had a pastor who had Parkinson's and he was also a woodworker.  He sadly had to retire from the pulpit early, as Parkinson's also affects one's ability to concentrate.

[Cecil]

When I was a teenager, an retired family friend had some apartment units.  I was looking for a way to make money and he had a unit that needed a roof, so I hired on.  He had Parkinson's.  He would reach into the nail bag, and the nails would rattle.  I watch him intently, waiting for him to smash his fingers.  However, every time, he held the nail perfectly still and guided a steady hammer blow.

[RonB1957]

Interesting.

[Steve N]

I met a gentleman last evening who told me he does woodworking because it stops the tremors in his hands due to Parkinson's disease.

Bill

I had a pastor who had Parkinson's and he was also a woodworker.  He sadly had to retire from the pulpit early, as Parkinson's also affects one's ability to concentrate.

THIS ^^^^^^

My thought until I read through was......

I met a gentleman last evening who told me he does woodworking because it stops the tremors in his hands due to Parkinson's disease.

Bill

He does not have very advanced disease, because trying to concentrate to make it stop rarely works, unless you don't actually have Parkinson's. Many people with any tremor call it Parkinson's, had he been tested? With more advanced disease doing something, or not, rarely have much change. I hope for his safety that he self monitors his progress, even with simple hand tools the common thing is "sharp".

[cputnam]

In general, Parkinson's tremors appear when at rest, while Essential (Familial) tremors appear when one wants to use the part. For example, at certain times pf the day, I basically cannot eat soup because my hand shakes so badly that the soup scatters before I can get the spoon to my mouth (usually all over my shirt.) One develops lot's of work arounds - Example: shaving: My tremors are aggravated by showering so shaving gets to be an adventure. I can generally compensate by using two hands (damps the tremors) or by the preferred approach of simply not shaving. Depending, dropping a chisel into a line can be an interesting exercise.

[Lynden]

Focused ultrasound....

https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/...510595.htm

https://www.fusfoundation.org/diseases-a...ial-tremor

[cputnam]

Many thanks for the link.