Most people who come in after a crash can describe where it hurts. Fewer can describe what changed in an ordinary week. That gap matters. An examiner learns a great deal from what you did yesterday, not only from how you sit in the chair during the visit.
Start With the Loads You Carry
Look at the things you lift and carry in a normal week. Groceries from the car to the kitchen. A laundry basket from the bedroom to the machine. A child, a backpack, a case of bottled water, a pet carrier, a bag of mulch. For each one, note roughly how heavy it felt, how far you carried it, and whether you switched hands or set it down partway. You do not need exact weights. A note such as heavy enough that I had to stop twice is more useful than a guess at pounds.
Note the Tasks You Quit
Often the most useful details are the things you stopped doing. Maybe you used to carry the full trash bag down the driveway, and now you make two trips. Maybe you no longer bend to load the dishwasher, so you stand back and wait for someone else. Write each change down with a date if you can recall one, even an approximate one. Examiners want to know what you avoid, since avoidance can shape how the body moves over the following weeks.
Track the Workarounds
People adapt without noticing. You might lean a hip against the counter while you chop, move a bag to the other shoulder every few steps, or push a cart with one arm. Each habit makes sense in the moment. Together they shift how weight travels through your body. Write each workaround as one line: what you were doing, and what you changed.
Separate What Hurts During From What Hurts After
Some tasks cause trouble while you do them. Others cause trouble an hour later, or the next morning. Try to record both. A grocery run might feel fine until you climb the porch steps at night. Laundry might be manageable until you stand over the machine for ten minutes. Keep each entry simple: the task, the time of day, and how it felt when you finished and again later that evening.
Why Your Whole Week Matters
A single bad moment can dominate memory. Your week usually tells a truer story. Examiners often ask what a typical day looks like, and many people answer with the day they felt worst. Aim for an honest average instead. Note the good days as well as the hard ones. If Tuesday was fine and Thursday was rough, both belong on the page. The point is accuracy, not a dramatic account.
Weekend Versus Weekday Loads
Weekend chores often differ from weekday routines. Yard work, moving furniture, hauling recycling to the curb, or lifting a sleeping child from the back seat can all show up on Saturday and Sunday. Write those separately if they stand out. Many people find that a busy weekend leaves them stiffer on Monday morning, and that pattern is worth recording, along with how long it lasted.
Repeat the Chores You Can Still Do Easily
Keep the other side of the ledger too. If you still vacuum the stairs without changes, or you carry your own coffee cup without thinking about it, write that down. A list of what you can still do gives the examiner a fuller picture than a list of problems alone, and it helps you notice patterns across the week.
Keep the List to One Page
A single page is enough. Use the notes app on your phone, a paper sheet on the fridge, or the back of an envelope. Organize it by day if that helps. A sample entry might read: Tuesday, carried two grocery bags from the car using the left arm only, switched hands at the door, low back felt tight by the time I unloaded, stiff getting up from the couch that evening. Bring the page to your visit with Missouri Injury Clinic, and read it aloud during the history portion so nothing gets lost. Add anything else that comes up before you go in.
This log is a way to organize your own observations. It does not replace an examination, and it is not a diagnosis. Only a licensed examiner can tell you what your findings mean and what care fits your situation.