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What is stiff person syndrome?

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disorder. Johns Hopkins Medicine puts it at one or two people in every million. It causes stiff, rigid muscles, mostly in the torso, back, arms and legs, along with painful muscle spasms. Spasms can be set off by sudden movement, cold, loud noises, touch, stress or being startled. Because the muscles lock up, falls are common, and they can lead to serious injuries.

SPS usually shows up between ages 20 and 60, most often in a person's thirties and forties. It tends to get worse over time.

Researchers believe SPS is an autoimmune condition, meaning the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord by mistake. About 80% of people with SPS have high levels of an antibody called anti-GAD. Doctors use that antibody test, along with a neurological exam and other tests, to make the diagnosis.

How is it treated today?

‍There is no cure yet. Standard care focuses on calming the immune system and easing the symptoms. That can include:

- Medicines that relax muscles and ease spasms, such as diazepam, baclofen, gabapentin and tizanidine

- IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin), which treats the immune side of the disease

- Other immune treatments chosen by a neurologist

These treatments can make symptoms better, but they don't make the disease go away. That's why so many people with SPS are watching this new study.

What's new: CAR-T cell therapy

‍The study published November 9 in JAMA Neurology looked at a CD19 CAR-T cell therapy for people with stiff person syndrome. In simple terms, CAR-T takes a patient's own immune cells and reprograms them to target the B cells involved in the autoimmune attack.

The early results were encouraging. One participant who had severe leg cramps, rigidity and falls could walk on a treadmill again. Another, who had needed help walking and with basic daily tasks, went back to work. The researchers, including a team at Mayo Clinic, were also clear that this is early. Larger studies are needed, and the big open question is whether the improvement lasts over time.

Where BCT fits in

‍Dr. Bao Chau Tran, MD is a stiff person syndrome specialist at BCT Medical Associates in Ringwood, NJ. He does not replace your neurologist, and the treatments above stay in your neurologist's hands. Even Celine Dion's care has included physical therapy alongside her medication and immunotherapy, because the body needs its own work too.

What Dr. Tran focuses on is the stiffness itself and what it does to the body over time. When muscles stay locked and tense for months or years, the connective tissue around them tightens too. Joints lose space, posture shifts, and other areas tighten up to make up for it. That built-up tension adds its own pain and limits on top of the disease.

Dr. Tran's approach is hands-on connective tissue work, aimed at releasing that built-up tension and helping patients move with less pain. He works with patients whose bodies have been seized up for a long time, including people living with conditions like hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

If stiffness is running your life, we would like to hear from you. We work alongside the rest of your care team, not instead of it.

This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Stiff person syndrome should be diagnosed and managed by a neurologist. Talk to your own doctor before starting or changing any treatment.

https://Sources: USA TODAY, "Treatment for Celine Dion's diagnosis shows promising early results" (November 9, 2026), https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/11/09/stiff-person-syndrome-treatment/92641644007/&source=gmail&ust=1794523029827000&sa=E ; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Stiff-Person Syndrome information page; Mayo Clinic News Network, "CAR-T cell therapy shows promise for stiff person syndrome" (November 2026); JAMA Neurology, November 9, 2026.

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