08-05-2025
Medic demonstrates a 30-second brain tumor test you can do right now to pick up symptoms
A simple 30-second hand test could reveal if you have brain tumor, according to a doctor's post on TikTok.
A British medic who posts on the video-sharing site as 'Medifectious' on TikTok demonstrated how to perform the test in a clip viewed almost 200,000 times.
It involves taking one hand and rapidly flipping it palm side up and down on top of the other palm for a few seconds before swapping hands and repeating the motion.
Detection: The test involves taking one hand and rapidly flipping it palm side up and down in the other hand for a few seconds before swapping hands and repeating the motion
It is designed to pick up signs of a condition called dysdiadochokinesia which is the inability to perform rapid alternating movements.
Having the condition is a sign something is wrong within the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for controlling coordination. This can include a tumor pressing on the tissue of the brain.
The TikToker Char's TT vouched for the test as she filmed her unwell boyfriend who was unable to perform it due to a tumor in that area.
She said: 'Those are the hands of my brave boyfriend who has a brain tumor,' in a clip viewed over a million times.
She added: 'He was diagnosed about three years ago and because it's slow growing and he's in an area where there is limited neurosurgeons, he's been waiting a very long time to have it removed.'
She shared the clip to raise money to have her boyfriend's growth removed privately, a procedure that can cost around $40,000.
@chars_tt
Trying to stay strong while living with a brain tumour is exactly how @Leedw2022🏴 lives. The waiting, the fear, the what-ifs… it messes with your head more than people realise. It's not just physical — the mental toll is massive. This is for anyone who's been told to 'just stay positive' while fighting something invisible. You're not alone. Thank you @Medifectious for this information #BrainTumourAwareness #BrainTumourWarrior #BrainTumourJourney #WaitingGame #BrainSurgerySoon #HiddenIllness #MentalHealthMatters #InvisibleStruggles #HealthAnxiety #Scanxiety #TumourTalk #ChronicIllnessCommunity #YouAreNotAlone
♬ original sound - Char's TT
In his clip demonstrating the test Medifectious said: 'Everyone should be able to do it.'
'If you can't do this you might want to get yourself checked'.
He added that some patients are able to do the motion perfectly with one hand but have problems with the other, depending on the underlying cause.
Dysdiadochokinesia can be triggered by multiple conditions such as brain lesions—which can include tumors - or illnesses that damage nerves in the brain like multiple sclerosis.
The most common brain tumor symptoms are headaches, drowsiness, vomiting and vision problems, caused by the growth increasing internal pressure in the skull.
Other signs include mental and behavioral changes, weakness in one side of the body and vision and speech problems.
