The infection causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body.

Injury Hampers Runner-Up Jones, who has been bothered since the Boston Marathon by a persistent and painful tightening of the quadriceps muscle at the front of her right thigh whenever she has tried speed workouts, had hoped for a slow, steady race in which her strength and stamina might be enough to win.

Nevertheless I continued to chew the spaghetti, and began to reflect on its tastelessness, its sourness, its saltiness, and its general awful consistency and then I swallowed it, feeling a painful tightening again, and then a hard knot lower in my chest.

The sob was a painful tightening in her chest that worked its way up to her throat.

Tetanus (lockjaw) causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body.

He could smell the dawn, feel the sudden painful tightening of his skin as the sun's light began to chase the darkness from the sky.