Céline Dion has been living with symptoms of stiff person syndrome for 17 years, she reveals in a new documentary detailing her life with the condition, "I Am: Céline Dion." One especially harrowing scene toward the end of the film gives an up-close look at the more severe effects the illness, which causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms. In the scene, Dion is having a physical therapy session shortly after viewers see her recording a new song, "Love Again.
" She's going through what appear to be standard exercises with her physical therapist, part of her treatment efforts to improve and hopefully perform again. Then, she starts to experience cramping in one of her legs, and within minutes, her whole body is tensed up to the point where she cannot speak, move or even change her facial expression, which is contorted in pain. As her medial crisis continues, her face glistens with silent tears.
Her physical therapist asks her to squeeze his hand if she can hear him. She remains motionless and curled up, but finds a way to show him that she's aware of what's happening to and around her. During the scene, Dion receives a benzodiazepine nasal spray, her physician Dr.
Amanda Piquet, director of the autoimmune neurology program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, tells TODAY.com. It is part of a class of depressant drugs that relieve anxiety and reduce muscle spasms.
It's not clear from the film how long Dion's spasms last, but eventually .