Celine Dion makes rare public appearance almost a year after stiff ...

Singer Celine Dion has made a rare public appearance at an ice hockey game almost a year after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis. 

Ice hockey team Montreal Canadiens posted footage of Dion with the coach and some of the players after their game in Las Vegas on Monday night.

Stiff person syndrome can impact a patient's mobility, with symptoms including muscle spasms, muscle rigidity, chronic pain and heightened anxiety. 

Video shows Dion standing around with some of the players, joking and laughing with head coach Martin St-Louis.

St-Louis tells Dion he remembers watching her sing for Pope John Paul II when he visited Canada in 1984. 

"Well it's been a while since then, eh?" she responds in French. 

"We've changed a little bit since then, but not too much."

Celine Dion with Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis on Monday night. (Supplied: Montreal Canadiens)

Dion fans commented on the team's post in support of the singer, who has been out of the public eye for the past year. 

"She looks well! I hope she is feeling good," one said. 

"It's so nice to see Celine Dion again. She looks better and that gives hope," another said. 

It's a rare neurological illness which causes muscle stiffness, but can also be behind a host of other debilitating symptoms. 

Patients may develop a greater sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress, which can trigger spasms, the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) says.

Some people lose their normal reflexes to catch themselves from falling — and this can cause serious injuries. 

"Muscle spasms can be so violent they can dislocate joints and even break bones," the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation says.

"Patients can be disabled, wheelchair bound or bedridden, unable to work and care for themselves."

While the muscle stiffness affects patients' limbs differently, some people can develop an unsteady gait, while others may require a walker or wheelchair.

Last year, Dion said her spasms had been affecting "every aspect of daily life".

"Sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to," she said. 

Celine Dion was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological illness that can impact patient's mobility. (AP: Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Last December, Dion tearfully told fans she had been diagnosed with the neurological illness, explaining that it was the reason she had been experiencing muscle spasms. 

The message prompted an outpouring of support from her fans on social media.

She posted a Christmas message but, since then, posts on her Instagram account — which has 6.2 million followers — have been of archival footage and promotional material for the romantic comedy Love Again.

Dion plays herself in the movie and released five new songs as part of the soundtrack. 

While the film was released earlier this year, it was shot in during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Fans have been posting on the footage with messages of support, some asking for updates on her health situation. 

In May, she announced the cancellation of her Courage world tour — a date she'd originally postponed after her diagnosis. 

"I'm working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you're 100 per cent," she said in a statement on social media. 

"It's not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it's best that we cancel everything now until I'm really ready to be back on stage again.

"I want you all to know, I'm not giving up… and I can't wait to see you again!"

Dion hasn't posted a health update to her fans on her social media account or website in recent months. 

But, in an interview with Hello! Canada published in September, her sister Claudette Dion said she was "doing everything to recover".

"It's an illness we know so little about," she said, explaining that her sister's muscle spasms were "impossible" to control. 

"There's little we can do to support her, to alleviate her pain.

"We're crossing our fingers that researchers will find a remedy for this awful illness."

There's no cure for stiff person syndrome, but the NINDS says symptoms can managed "with appropriate treatment". 

Some of the treatments include muscle-relaxant medications, anti-seizure medication and immunotherapy.

Here's the video she posted on Instagram in December 2022: