Free tool
Symptom and pain journal
Two minutes a day builds the record that is hardest to recreate later: how much it hurt, what you could not do, and how long it lasted.
Today's entry
Saved only in this browser on this device. One entry per day.
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By Serdar Arslan, editor · Last reviewed · How we research
Why a daily record matters
Whiplash and other soft tissue injuries often do not show on an X-ray, so the claim rests on what you report and how consistently you report it. Months later, nobody remembers which week they could not sleep or when they went back to work. A dated journal, written at the time, answers those questions for your doctor and backs up the part of a claim that has no receipt.
What to write each day
| Field | What to put |
|---|---|
| Pain level | Your worst pain that day on a 0 to 10 scale. Be honest on good days too. A record with ups and downs is more believable than a row of tens. |
| Where it hurts | Each area, including new ones. Symptoms can appear days after a crash. |
| What you could not do | Specific things: lifting a child, driving, a full shift, sleeping through the night. |
| Treatment | Appointments, therapy and medication with doses. |
Keep entries factual. A journal kept for a claim may be read by the insurer, so write what happened and how you felt, and leave out guesses about fault. More on documenting these injuries is in whiplash and soft tissue injuries and pain and suffering damages. Missed days can go straight into the lost wages calculator.
Frequently asked questions
›What is a pain journal for a car accident claim?
A dated daily record of your symptoms, pain level, treatment and what the injury kept you from doing. It helps your doctor see the course of the injury and supports the part of a claim that bills alone cannot show.
›How often should I write in it?
Daily while symptoms are active, even if the entry is one line. Short entries made at the time are more useful than long ones written from memory weeks later.
›Can the insurance company see my journal?
If you rely on it in a claim or lawsuit, the other side may be able to ask for it. Keep it factual and consistent with what you tell your doctor, and do not write about fault or about conversations with a lawyer.
›Where is my journal stored?
Only in this browser on your device. Nothing is uploaded. Use the print or spreadsheet button to keep a copy, because clearing your browser data removes the entries.
›What does the 0 to 10 scale mean?
It is the numeric pain scale many clinics use: 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine. Record the worst level of the day so entries can be compared with each other.