A symptom diary is a plain notebook, a note on your phone, or a page kept in a folder. Its job is simple: it holds what you noticed on the days between now and your appointment, so you do not have to rebuild the whole picture from memory while sitting on the exam table. Nothing in it needs to be medical. It needs to be specific.
What to write each day
Pick a fixed time, such as before bed, and write three or four lines. Note the date, the joint or body area that bothered you, what you were doing when it started or got worse, and how it felt in a few plain words such as sharp, dull, hot, tight, or buzzing. If you used anything to ease it, write the name of the item and the amount you took, the way it appears on the label.
Also record what helped and what made it worse. A long drive, carrying a laundry basket down the steps, or a cold morning in the garage each belongs on the page. Examiners tend to find these details more useful than a single summary word like 'bad.' Keep entries short and honest. If a day was quiet, write that down too. A quiet day is information.
Using a simple scale
Some people give each entry a number from zero to ten, with zero meaning no bother at all. If you use a scale, use the same one every day and write a few words beside the number explaining what it meant to you that day. Numbers without context tend to drift. A six on Monday and a six on Friday may describe very different things, and the words help separate them.
Noticing patterns
After several days, read back through your notes and look for repeats. Does the ache show up after sitting at a desk, after a workout, or after waking? Does it ease once you move around, or does it hold steady? Does the same joint appear each time, or does the spot move? Circle the entries that seem linked and write one line describing the pattern in your own words. You do not need to explain why it happens. Your task is to report what you saw.
Treat the diary as a record, not a verdict. A pattern you spot is worth bringing to the examiner, who can decide what it may mean. Avoid writing guesses about causes as if they were facts. 'Felt worse after the long drive' is a useful line. 'Must be a pinched nerve' is a guess that could steer the conversation the wrong way.
Notes beyond pain
Pain is only part of a joint story. Write down stiffness, swelling you can see, warmth to the touch, a feeling that a joint is catching or giving way, and any change in how far you can move it. Note changes in sleep, in how you get out of a chair, or in how you manage a jar lid or a stairwell rail. Changes in daily function often tell an examiner as much as the pain number does.
Bring it with you
Print the diary or keep it open on your phone. Bring it to the appointment and be ready to read a few entries aloud. Mark the three or four days that felt most different from the rest. If you are unsure whether a note matters, bring it anyway. The examiner can sort the useful details from the rest.
Keep writing after the visit if you have a follow-up or if the examiner asks you to track something specific. A diary is most helpful when it shows what happens over time, not only what happened in the week before one appointment.
A diary does not replace an exam. It gives the exam a better starting point. If something in your notes worries you, such as a joint that is suddenly hot, badly swollen, or unable to bear weight, do not wait for your next scheduled day. Seek prompt medical care for any sudden, severe, or worsening change.