If a client experiences muscle pain and tightening during exercise, what could they be experiencing?

Muscle cramps are sudden, involuntary contractions of one or more muscles and can occur during exercise, particularly when a muscle is fatigued, overexerted, or dehydrated. When a client experiences muscle pain and tightening, it is typically a sign that a muscle is contracting tightly and is unable to relax. This is characteristic of muscle cramps, which can cause significant discomfort and hinder performance.

The other options describe different phenomena associated with exercise but do not match the specific symptom of sudden tightening and pain as directly as muscle cramps do. Mild fatigue refers to a temporary decrease in energy levels and does not usually involve the sharp pain that accompanies cramps. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs after exercise and manifests as muscle stiffness and soreness that develops a day or two later; it is not associated with immediate pain during activity. Joint pain involves discomfort or pain arising from the joints and is distinct from the muscle-specific issues described. Thus, muscle cramps accurately represent the symptoms of muscle pain and tightening experienced during exercise.