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After 20 years of bothersome hand tremors, Harry Hahn, an active retiree, finally found relief. The procedure that helped to calm his movement disorder is called deep brain stimulation.

Hahn suffered from a condition known as essential tremor, or ET, a common movement disorder that can affect people of any age and typically involves the hands and arms.

Research led him to the Movement Disorders Clinic at Michigan Medicine. There he learned about deep brain stimulation, or DBS. A proven therapy for Parkinson’s disease and ET, DBS involves surgically implanting electrodes in the brain. This is followed by a second surgery to implant a battery pack similar to a heart pacemaker in the chest. The pacemaker sends signals to activate the electrodes, which stimulate appropriate areas of the brain.

Hahn’s first DBS procedure in 2016 calmed the tremors in his right hand. A second DBS for his left hand was performed in September 2017. Soon after, Hahn was able to manage everyday tasks with both hands, free of tremors.

Hahn encourages anyone with this condition to investigate DBS. “It has changed my life,” he says.