A few questions on motor skills

[Digitized]

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As someone thinking about applying to med school - the biggest hurdle i have had to overcome is that i have hands that are very shaky. Well not very shaky, but enough to cause concern. Now by no means is this so bad that i can't write a nice looking paper or draw a decent map. But my hands do shake in every anatomy and chem lab i've done. My partner usually has to do most of the lab work while i guide him and do the equations and stuff. Even though this is a premed question - since most of you guys know a lot more about the clinical experience - I just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar problem. My doctor told me that he isn't sure what the problem is - and I can cut a peice of paper in a straight line - so he said i can probably get used to it - but I if this motor deficiency is going to make my career miserable - I would rather do a phD program. At least in the lab u have a little less pressure (a factor that may cause my skinny hands to shake although i'm generallly not that nervous of a person). To be more specific, my goal was to be an ophthalmologist since I was a little kid. My hands have been a little shaky since that point in time, but I think all this computer use over the last couple of years has caused me to notice this more. I understand that ophthalmologists use a lot of neat equipment and so they don't have to have "surgical precision" but again, I haven't job shadowed an ophthalmologist (yet) so I may be wrong. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do or know where I can find information pertaining to this unique situation - again, I haven't been diagnosed with any medical condition like arthritus or tendonitus, but I'm pretty sure a RSI in both hands as exacperated a condition I've had since middle school.

Thanks

 

[PTjay]

not sure where i read it but i have heard of new technology in which the equipment can actually decrease the jitters of a person's hands. not sure how much but there is hope. keep searching,

good luck

 

[cg1]

Are you a male? I was also going to ask you if you were non-athletically built and thin...but I noticed that you said that you were "skinny".

It's wierd, but I've noticed that through high school and college, etc...whenever I would see a person who was shaky...he was always a male and I think he was usually of a scrawny build.

Has anyone else observed this?

The doctors can't tell you what your problem is....I wonder if poor nutrition could be a factor??? 😕

in the lab u have a little less pressure (a factor that may cause my skinny hands to shake although i'm generallly not that nervous of a person).

 

[Dash]

I was just curious as to if its anxiety that is bringing on this problem and not a motor problem? Do u always have the problem when doing fine motor skills or just when there is "pressure" around as u said. Just an observation...

Dash

 

[Digitized]

Thanks for the response everyone, hmmmm - yes my hands shake at other times too, but may be anxiety related - because its not like I notice this shakiness or that it disturbs me when I'm just relaxing and having fun (playing video games or cooking), and while doing homework, I don't notice it unless I concously think about it, which I usually don't do because I got way too much homework. Its just during labs and it may well be a mental thing because in the back of my mind now, I've got my brain stuck on this idea that I can't do these precise amputations on something when a life depends on it. I'm just not sure, I've only been to one doctor and haven't done a lot of research into this. Its a new concept for me because we didn't have many labs in my high school science classes and now, I find the labs the most challenging part of my college experience. My professors don't have too much sympathy on top of it all.

As far as a scrawny build, yes, I have a sterotypical, scrawny geek build, and my nutrition isn't exactly that of Michael Jordan. I play a lot of b-ball and have no problem shooting, and I type a lot and have no problem with that. Recently I've started a boost in my protein consumption as well as a B6 supplement. If this is a anxiety related problem, anyone have any advice on the best way to deal with it. I certainly don't have time for physical therapy, don't believe in hypnosis, and find a hard time believing a doctor can be at his/her peak efficiecy while on something like paxil.

 

[old_one]

Recently I've started a boost in my protein consumption as well as a B6 supplement

I'm not a doctor, but that sounds like a good idea. Before I saw your last response, I was going to suggest B Complex (which helps put back the vitamins that get drained when one is under lots of stress).

OK, this is waaaay off topic and has nothing to do with this post 😉 but did anyone see the movie "Alonzo's Oil"? I saw it years ago and it dealt with a disease in which the nerve "casing" (the myelin sheath) deteriorated. It's a central nervous system disorder, but I can't remember the exact disease name.

Anyways they tried to give the boy a homemade concoction of oils to help with the myelin sheath disintegrating. Wasn't one of the two ingredients in the homemade oil actually OLIVE OIL ??

Do neurologists suggest their patients with similar conditions to increase their intake of whatever that oil is (I think it's Olive Oil)? Just wondering.

 

[sbla]

Digitized, I had, and talked to many people in my school with the same worries. Its funny, a lot of people in med school have the same worries, but dont talk about it because they think their worry is unique. I am now a 2nd year resident and had your same situation with motor skills and tremor. After doing anything a couple (or 100's) of times, your motor skills will improve. The first central line is an adventure, the 50th is pedestrian. Some people have motor skills that amaze me, with the world crumbling around them, they can thread a needle. Some of us need to steady ourselves with another hand to do the same thing. Medicine is 95% mental (arbitrary percentage per me), if you think you want to do it, DO NOT let your worry get in your way. There will be times when you feel your situation to be a handicap, but with a little extra practice you will get through and in 6 years you can type advice to another guy with this situation.
Also, If I could throw in my medical two cents. What you have sounds to me like "essential tremor", I dont know if someone else has told you this. There are treatments including low-dose beta blockers and one or two neuroleptics. Supposedly, they lessen the frequency of the tremor but do not get rid of it. Maybe you want to research this. Ive not decided to take these meds myself but I have left the option open to myself and could one day.
Keep us posted. Thanks

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I've heard of using beta blockers (metoprolol, propranolol, atenolol) to block this kind of tremor. This could be due to sympathetic overactivity. Have you ever had your blood pressure checked? If so, was it high?

 

[Digitized]

Actually, my blood pressure is great. I have heard of beta blockers but never really looked into them - they sound like something one would use if they get really desperate and I want to explore as many non-drug therapies before looking into something like this. Thanks sbla.