title: Task Specific Tremors.
abstract: A patient reported bilateral hand tremors when writing but not with other tasks. These "task specific" tremors are considered subcategories of essential tremor. Primary writing tremor, in which the tremor occurs only with writing, is probably the most common. The important teaching point is that the "standard" tremor assessment, watching the patient holding a sustained posture and touching his finger to the examiner's and then back to the nose is not adequate. Patients should be tested doing the activity that causes them the most difficulty.
authors.affiliation: Editor-in- chief of the Rhode Island Medical Journal, Professor and the Chief of the Division of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, chief of Butler Hospital's Movement Disorders Program and first recipient of the Stanley Aronson Chair in Neurodegenerative Disorders.
authors.forename: Joseph H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014202:Tremor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014956:Writing