Shaking Arm/hand in 4 Yr Old

I have a friend whose arm shook for 14 months straight. Constantly. It was awful. The doctors couldn't figure it out. Her cranial/sacral chiropractor did. There was a nerve in her jawline going from near her ear to her jaw that was pinched. He was able to open it up, and the shaking stopped. I would take her to a sacral/cranial expert if you can find one. Since this happens when she drinks, it makes sense that it could be related. I hope you can find the source of the twitching!

Find another doctor! No child, not even a 4 yr old would fake this for that length of time and if she is spilling everything, you need to find out what is causing this. Is she seeing a pediatrician or a GP? I'd definately take her to another doctor if your current one says to "leave it alone." Keep trying to do whatever you can to help her. Good luck and please let us know how this turns out.

Hello,

I am now 60 years old and my hands still shake like crazy. They have been this way every since I can remember. My Mom told me they shook from the time I was big enough to use them. I grew up, got a college degree and have and still do enjoy a full life. Sometimes kids made fun of me, but I worked through it. My Mom just gave me plenty of love and support. That made the difference for me. Hopefully, it will for your daughter as well.

Hi,
If the shaking only happens when she is performing a task, it may be an intention tremor (which means that the tremor occurs during intentional movement rather than at rest). You might do some research on that. You might also ask for a referral to a pediatric OT or PT.
I hope you get what you need.
Blessings,
K.

Have they checked her glucose levels and tested her for diabetes? I know some diabetes that get very shaky when their glucose levels are low.

I agree, change doctors.....it could be a pinched nerve or something else.....and she is so young, so get it taken care of now......

Good Luck and remember, you have to take charge of her health care, don't rely on the doctors, she is your child, you know her best..........my son had surgery, and he couldn't keep anything down.......found out they were over dosing him on pain meds.......but if I hadn't checked, I'd not have known....he doesn't require as much meds as some..........

Hang in there.

Do you notice whether it is worse when she is excited or stressed?

That doesn't sound normal to me and I agree with Tonya C. about checking with a chiropractor other alternative health sources (and possibly another neurologist).

If it affects her fine motor ability she probably WILL have trouble in pre-K. You may also want to check with an occupational therapist. One other idea - I have seen (in an OT catalogue) small weighted wrist bands that help kids who have sensory issues. You may want to think about that too (and definitely check with an OT) for that one.

Good luck and great job staying on top of this.

I agree with SH, look for a 2nd (or 3rd or 4rd opinion).
Something must be causing this tick.
Is this only happening in 1 arm/hand? Until you find what is causing it, you may can help your daughter to use her other hand.
I hope you find the answer soon.

I think you should get a 2nd opinion! (or 3rd..4th..however many makes you feel comfortable)
I can understand the Dr. telling you to "leave it alone" though. Sometimes kids fake things for the attention, but this doesn't really seem to be the case here.
I would go see someone else though, this really needs to be addressed. My son was so sick back in Jan. and I couldn't figure out what was wrong..it came on all of a sudden and just got worse and worse! I took him to his Dr and the ER and they said "he's probably just got a rash and has a cold or a virus" so they gave him some antibiotics and sent him home. He just kept getting worse, so I took him to another ER at a hospital that I trusted more and the Dr. there told me that he had Kawasaki's disease! Not saying your little one has something so serious, but just goes to show you that you can't trust just one opinion if you don't feel right about it.

Hope everything turns out fine! Good luck! Let us know how this turns out!

PS - If anyone is wondering about Kawasaki's disease (questions, comments, concerns, anything) feel free to ask! :) My boy had EVERY symptom!

I would ask for a referral to an occupational therapist. I would also go see an orthopaedist. They can help pinpoint if her issues are neurological or muscular. The therapist can giver her therapies to help control the shaking.

It concerns me that the neuro could not give you more answers. Have you sought a second opinion? Have they done any diagnostic tests? It seems, from your post, that this is something that happens frequently- frequently enough that she could be doing while they test her. I would seek out a different neuro- perhaps even going to Texas Children's in Houston or Dallas. They have Drs and equipment to better diagnose these kinds of issues.

Your gut is telling you something is wrong and you should listen to it.

Good LUck!

I am obviously not a child but just recently I had some involuntary shaking of my left arm and hand. Sometimes it would shake, sometimes it would twitch, sometimes it just felt restless. It went on for weeks until my husband was massaging my shoulders and found a very sore knot under my shoulder blade on that same side (i.e. pinched nerve). He worked it out and the problem was gone for about 4 days. It has come back a few times but I think he's almost worked it out now. I haven't had the twitching for a while now. What makes me think it might not be a knot with your daughter is that it is happening with both hands. But...I would also think if it were neurological, it wouldn't be happening with both hands either. However, obviously, I am no neurologist. I suppose it could be a nerve affected that is causing this in both sides of the body. I would definitely ask your pediatrician what kind of doctor you should see to investigate nerve problems. I also think asking for a reputable neurologist isn't a bad idea. I COMPLETELY disagree with what the first guy told you! What? Just don't worry about it? That's nuts. In the meantime (because neurologists take forever to get into) you might consider sacral cranial therapy. There's a doctor in Georgetown I've heard great things about from more than one person! I think her name is Erica Stauffer. I've never taken my child (for our own issue) to see her because I'm a skeptic (although, I have another friend in the medical field who swears it's not a bunch of bologna). She doesn't know of this doctor but said that the birth of a baby can be very traumatic, and cause minor injury to the baby, that no one will ever notice. I'm just a skeptical person but one of these days I'll give her a try. I want to say she charges $80/treatment, maybe?? Maybe you should give it a go, once or twice. I think it has a lot to do with pinched nerves, bones not lining up the way they are supposed to, and such, from what I understand. Very confusing to me but I would learn more about it, if I were in your boat. I hope you find a solution. It's horrible to watch your child struggle with anything medical related. Edit!!! This explains it: http://www.cranioworks.com/faqs.shtml

Absolutely get another opinion. But, be prepared that the results may truly be inconclusive. My brother-in-law has had an issue for many years that, despite several trips to several specialists, is still a mystery and undiagnosable. It also affects one of his hands, but it's more of a numbness than anything.

The more you ask, the more you'll learn, and the greater the chances you'll have of asking the right person the right question who may put you down the right path.

Just be cautious of doing too much research on the internet unless it's credible sources. Anyone can write a blog and put articles on anything. One recent study estimates that ~40% of all health information on the internet is inaccurate.

Even trusted sites need to be independently verified. Good luck. Be persistent. If you believe there's a real issue, follow your instincts and press on.

I would get a 2nd opinion... see another Doctor, since this one could NOT tell you anything conclusive.

This seems unusual.
See another Doctor... get a conclusive diagnoses.... so you can then therefore help your daughter.
I am sure, it frustrates her too.

Trust your instincts and keep going to doctors until one takes you and your daughter seriously!!!! You know if something's wrong with her or not. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If I had taken just one doctor's opinion with my son he might be dead now. Not saying that will happen to you, but her quality of life is at stake here. Keep going until you figure out what's wrong.