'Like night and day': Groundbreaking HIFU treatment brings life-changing relief for tremor patients

DETROIT - The victories may sound small. Writing a check with a steady hand. Sipping a beverage without spilling. Hammering a nail on the first try.

But for 79-year-old Jim Jones, these represent major triumphs in his decades-long battle with essential tremor, a neurological condition that causes involuntary, rhythmic trembling throughout the body, most often in the hands, head and voice.

"For the first time in years, my right hand is steady," said Jones, a retired electrical engineer and lifelong woodworking hobbyist from Addison Township, Michigan, who had treatment completed on his dominant hand.

Jones is among the first patients to undergo high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for his tremor at Henry Ford Health, the first and only provider in southeast Michigan offering this innovative therapy for people with essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease.

Performed without incisions or general anesthesia, HIFU uses beams of ultrasound energy to precisely target areas of the brain responsible for tremors. Most patients experience immediate improvement and return home the same day.

"With the launch of HIFU in southeast Michigan, we are thrilled to expand access to this groundbreaking treatment to tremor patients across the Midwest and beyond," said Dr. Ellen Air, chair of the Henry Ford Health Department of Neurosurgery. "Patients now have an incisionless option that can dramatically reduce their tremors and help them regain control of their movements, often for the first time in years."

Jones' procedure took place shortly before Christmas 2025 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He estimates it restored roughly 85% of the steadiness in his right hand, and he plans to return for treatment on his left hand as soon as he's eligible.

"My left hand still shakes, but my right is steady as can be," Jones said. "There's just so much improvement, it's hard to put into words."

HIFU offers alternative treatment

Essential tremor runs in Jones' family - his grandfather, uncles and brother all had it - and he first began noticing his own symptoms about 20 years ago. At the time, he attributed the mild numbness and subtle handwriting changes to the strain of his engineering work and the hours he spent woodworking.

A dedicated craftsman, the home he shares with his wife, Pat, is filled with pieces he built himself - furniture, model planes, canoes, kayaks and even a stand-up paddleboard. As Jones' fine motor skills became less predictable, he adapted his techniques, relying on reverse tweezers, clamps and specially made fixtures to continue his hobby.

But over the last six years, his tremors worsened significantly. Medications and Botox injections offered little relief. When his sister mentioned seeing a TV segment about HIFU, Jones began researching the technology. He was thrilled when Henry Ford Health launched the program in late fall 2025.

HIFU is FDA-approved to treat patients with essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease, which accounts for about one-quarter of cases, according to clinical reviews. Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders, affecting an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. Some estimate that 1 in 5 people over the age of 65 will develop the condition.

Medications are typically the first line of treatment before a surgical option called deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS involves brain surgery to implant targeted electrodes in the brain and a pacemaker-like device in the chest to control tremors.

"Many people with tremors are older or have underlying health conditions that can make surgery riskier and recovery more difficult," said Dr. Efstathios Kondylis, a neurosurgeon at Henry Ford Health who specializes in HIFU and who treated Jones. "HIFU offers an alternative that avoids the complications that can be associated with anesthesia. It also doesn't have an upper age limit, which opens the door to treatment for even more patients."

What patients can expect

During the procedure, patients lie on a treatment bed inside the MRI suite at Henry Ford Hospital, which was recently renovated and equipped with HIFU technology. The patient's head is secured in a frame, and a helmet-like device filled with cold water is placed over the scalp.

Using MRI guidance, the neurosurgery team directs focused ultrasound waves to the exact areas of the brain causing the tremor, creating tiny lesions to reduce their severity. Between applications, patients are asked to complete simple motor tasks on a worksheet - signing their name and drawing a straight line and a spiral - so the team can assess their improvement in real-time.

For Jones, filling out the final worksheet as Dr. Kondylis held it up on a clipboard was when he realized just how dramatic his results were.

"At that point, I really noticed the difference," he said. "I was able to write my name. I was able to draw that spiral they had me do and draw a straight line. It was like night and day."

Dr. Kondylis said he never tires of witnessing the moment a tremor patient can hold their hand steady for the first time.

"It's instant gratification, and that's rare in neurosurgery," he said. "We hand a patient a cup, and for the first time in years, they can drink without a straw. It's like lifting a weight off their chest. That moment is why so many of us fall in love with this field. There's something deeply powerful about giving someone back a part of their life."

Celebrating the victories

While each patient is different, most see a 70% to 80% reduction in tremor on their treated side. Research shows the majority of patients see their results last for five or more years.

Currently, the procedure is only approved to treat one side of the body at a time, so patients with tremors on both sides need to wait at least nine months before undergoing treatment on the other side.

Patients must also be prepared to have their head completely shaved before the start of the procedure to avoid interference with the ultrasound beams - something Jones took in stride.

"I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't be enthused about that, but I was in the Air Force, so I went through this before," he said. "I'll just wear a hat for a little while."

While he is now eager to complete HIFU on his left hand, Jones is savoring the small victories that come with a steady right hand. At a recent dinner out with friends, he ordered a glass of hard cider that was filled all the way to the top.

"Before, I would have to drink the first quarter of it with a straw," he said. "But that didn't have to happen this time."

Learn more at henryford.com/HIFUfortremor.

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