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derailler & knee problem!

 
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:35 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: derailler & knee problem! Reply with quote

I'll start with the important stuff, the bike...
When I try to shift down into a larger gear (6th or 7th) my chain doesn't seem to want to shift down until after a few seconds, and when it does it kind of jumps around. What do I do to adjust?

Second,
I ran a marathon in November and on mile 22 my knee kind of started hurting. When I go up the stairs I'm ok, but going down the stairs it really aches. The pain is just below the knee cap. When I pedal it hurts on the down stroke. It takes about 20 miles for it to come around and stop hurting when I ride. Are there any ideas as to what it could be, and how I could rehab this. I guess I could go to the doctor, I'm just lazy (off the bike).

Thanks,
Travis
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The Bike Doc
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:28 pm GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trav:

Regarding your bike: Check your derailleur cables and housing. If they are old and/or gritty they will cause poor shifting especially if you are going down the cassette to a smaller cog with a non-rapid rise derailleur and moving up the cogs with a rapid-rise derailleur. If you have bent your derailleur hanger, it will cause the derailleur to shift poorly at one extreme (large cogs) or the other (small cogs). You should get your bike to a shop where they have a special tool that can check derailleur alignment and straighten it or replace it with a new one if you have replaceable derailleur hanger.

Now in regards to your knee and lower leg your are just going to have to trade them in on a new titanium model.....or go to a doctor.

With the pain occurring when you go down the stairs and on the down stroke of the pedal, I suspect you have either injured the cushion (meniscus) that goes between the bones that form the knee joint or you may have eroded the cartilage to the knee joint. You will need to lay off hard pedaling and running for a while to allow it to heal. You can try easy pedaling with low gears and higher RPM. You may want to consider a trial of glucosamine and chondroitin if you are not on blood thinners, are not allergic to shell fish or do not have diabetes. This can help the cartilage to heal. Of course if you have any persisting or worsening pain, do get in to see your doctor and possibly an orthopedic doctor.

Thanks,
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Schroeder
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Location: Conroe

PostPosted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:21 am GMT +0000    Post subject: Reply with quote

To add one little bit about the glucosamine and chondroitin tablets. You can buy generic brands such as Walgreens brand and save some money as it is not the cheapest stuff. Try the triple strength so that you only have to take two a day. If it is the fix to the knee problems, you won't really know for many weeks as it seems to need to collect in the body. Many things take a week or two but this stuff takes longer for me. I have arthritis and use glucosamine to help with the discomfort. It takes about a week of not taking the pills to get the pain back and about three weeks for it to go away when I start taking it again. What I am saying is be patient with trying it. Use a whole bottle before making a decision.
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