ORANGE PARK, Fla. – HCA Florida Orange Park is the first hospital in our area to offer a non-invasive option to patients with tremor-predominant Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors.
Robert Schlag has a dominate tremor in his right hand, causing it to shake. On Thursday, he became the first patient at HCA to receive the innovative treatment.
“I tell people, it’s sort of like when you go out in the sun, you’re not getting burned out there, you know, it’s you feel heat. But if you take a magnifying glass, you can focus the rays down to a point, and you can burn like a piece of paper,” neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Horowitz said.
QUIZ: See if you qualify for this treatment for tremors
“The risk of permanent problems happening from the treatment is probably somewhere on the order of less than 10%. If the tremor comes back, they can have it treated,” Dr. Horowitz said.
Side effects of the treatment include unsteadiness in your feet, headache, sensory changes to your arms or legs, tingling in your tongue or lips, weakness, and difficulty with speech.
Dr. Horowitz also says that right now, the treatment is just approved for individuals who have a central tremor involving their upper extremities.
Schlag instantly saw the change, and even started signing checks again. “I told everybody I know of about this, who has tremors, about this procedure, so I will definitely spread the word,” he said. Schlag is also enjoying his favorite hobby of woodworking again.
HCA says more than 60 million people across the world live with essential tremors and 67% of them have an increased risk of depression.
Dr. Horowitz says more than 90% of people are eligible – and if you take their quiz, you can see if you are a candidate for this care.