Some reasons you can feel your colon contract are a result of irritable bowel syndrome or spastic colon or other problems such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
In some cases your colon contracting can be an infection or food intolerance.
A colon contraction feels like severe abdominal pain in the lower half of the abdomen, which seems to get worsened with every meal taken and relaxes with a bowel movement.
Colon contractions are also known as colon spasms and are muscle spasms in your colon (large intestine).
A spasm is a sudden, spontaneous contraction of the muscles.
The colon is the long, coiled tube where food is slowly condensed into poop at the end of the digestive process.
Eating food makes your colon muscles move or contract.
This normally gives you an urge to have a bowel movement 30 to 60 minutes after a meal.
Having fat in your diet can cause contractions in your colon after a meal. With IBS, the urge may come sooner.
Some viruses, such as norovirus, can cause colon spasms that go away when the person recovers from the illness.
These types of illnesses usually last for around 1–3 days.
If you have symptoms that last longer than this, you should speak to a doctor.
Colon spasms can be a symptom of intestinal distress.
You may have colon spasms as an acute reaction to an infection or a food intolerance.
Some people have chronic colon spasms related to an underlying condition, such as IBS.
Treatment for colon contractions or colon spasms are aimed at relieving symptoms and may include changing your diet, increasing physical activity, reducing stress and, for some people, taking anticholinergic medications to help treat spasms.
Problems with the colon, or large intestine, can cause pain in the lower abdomen.
Possible causes of colon pain include constipation, diarrhea, and a range of gastrointestinal problems.
Inflammation, irritation, and obstruction in the colon can all cause pain, which a person will typically feel as abdominal pain.