Quick answer: An arthritis pain journal is a simple daily record of pain, stiffness, swelling, sleep, activity and medicines. Filling it in for a few minutes each day helps you spot patterns and triggers, see whether changes are helping, and give your GP or rheumatology team clear information. Print the free template on this page and start today.
When a GP or rheumatology nurse asks "How has it been?", it is surprisingly hard to answer. Good days blur into bad ones, and it is easy to remember only the last week. A simple pain journal solves that. It takes a few minutes a day, and over a few weeks it shows you, and your clinicians, what is really going on. This page gives you a ready-to-print template and explains how to use it well, without turning your life into a spreadsheet.
Why keep an arthritis pain journal
- Spot patterns and possible triggers. You may notice pain is worse after certain activities, poor sleep, stress, missed medicines or busy weekends.
- See whether changes help. When you start a new exercise, splint, medicine or pacing plan, the journal shows whether things are improving over weeks, not just on the day.
- Make appointments count. Clear, dated information helps clinicians judge how active your arthritis is. NICE's rheumatoid arthritis guideline (NG100) is built around regular monitoring and adjusting treatment, and good records from you support that.
- Recognise flares early. Comparing today with your usual pattern makes it easier to tell a real flare from an ordinary bad day.
- Support benefit or work conversations. A record of how symptoms affect daily life can help when discussing adjustments at work or applying for benefits. For PIP, use our dedicated PIP evidence diary, which focuses on daily living tasks.
What to record (and what you can skip)
The best journal is one you actually keep. Start with the essentials and add more only if it is useful.
Essentials (every day, about 2 minutes)
- Pain score from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable), ideally at the same time each day. Our pain scale guide explains how to score consistently.
- Morning stiffness in minutes, from waking to feeling "loosened up".
- Sleep as good, fair or poor.
- Main activity that day, for example a long walk, gardening, a work day or a rest day.
Useful extras
- Which joints hurt, and whether any are swollen, warm or red
- Tiredness from 0 to 10
- Mood from 0 to 10, or a word such as calm, low or worried
- Medicines taken, including any extra pain relief
- What helped, such as warmth, a walk, a rest or a gadget
- Possible triggers, such as an infection, stress, travel or a change in routine
What you can skip
You do not need to record every meal, every step or every twinge. Over-tracking can make you more focused on pain and can be tiring. If a detail is not helping you or your clinicians make decisions, leave it out.
Your printable pain tracking journal
Use your browser's print option to print this page, or save it as a PDF from the print window. Print the weekly table several times so you have one sheet per week.
Template 1: my baseline (fill in once)
| Question | My answer |
|---|---|
| My type of arthritis (as diagnosed) | |
| Joints usually affected | |
| My usual pain score on an ordinary day (0–10) | |
| My usual morning stiffness (minutes) | |
| Things that usually make it worse | |
| Things that usually help | |
| Regular medicines and doses | |
| What I want to be able to do (my goals) |
Template 2: weekly pain journal
Week starting: ____________________
| Day | Pain 0–10 (am / pm) | Stiffness (mins) | Swollen or warm joints | Sleep (good / fair / poor) | Tiredness 0–10 | Main activity | Extra pain relief | Notes / what helped |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | / | |||||||
| Tue | / | |||||||
| Wed | / | |||||||
| Thu | / | |||||||
| Fri | / | |||||||
| Sat | / | |||||||
| Sun | / |
Weekly review: best day ______ worst day ______ anything I noticed: ______________________________
Template 3: joint map for the week
Tick the joints that were painful (P), swollen (S) or stiff (St) this week.
| Joint | Left | Right |
|---|---|---|
| Jaw | ||
| Neck / back (write which) | ||
| Shoulder | ||
| Elbow | ||
| Wrist | ||
| Hand / fingers (write which) | ||
| Hip | ||
| Knee | ||
| Ankle | ||
| Foot / toes (write which) |
Template 4: flare log
| Start date | End date | Joints | Worst pain (0–10) | Possible trigger | What I did | Did I contact anyone? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template 5: appointment summary (fill in the day before)
| Question | My notes |
|---|---|
| Since my last appointment, my pain has been: better / same / worse | |
| Average pain score over the last 4 weeks | |
| Number of flares and how long they lasted | |
| Usual morning stiffness now (minutes) | |
| Any side effects from medicines | |
| Things I can no longer do, or struggle with | |
| My top 3 questions |
Our clinic appointment pack has more help preparing for appointments.
What to focus on for your type of arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis pain is often linked to activity and load. It is most useful to note what you did and how your joints felt later that day and the next morning. This helps you find the right amount of activity: enough to keep joints and muscles strong, which NICE recommends, without regular big spikes. Note whether stiffness after rest eases quickly once you get moving, which is typical.
Rheumatoid, psoriatic and other inflammatory arthritis
Here, swollen and tender joints, the length of morning stiffness and tiredness are especially useful, because they help show how active the inflammation is. Note any missed or delayed doses of your medicines, infections, and any side effects. If you have psoriatic arthritis, it can also help to note skin flares and any swollen "sausage-like" fingers or toes, or heel pain.
Gout
For gout, the flare log is the most important part. Record the date, which joint, how long it lasted and anything that came before it, such as alcohol, a large meal, dehydration, illness or a change in medicines. This helps you and your GP decide whether long-term treatment to lower urate is needed.
Fibromyalgia alongside arthritis
Many people have fibromyalgia as well as arthritis. Widespread pain, sleep quality, tiredness and "brain fog" are worth tracking, as is how much activity you did, so that pacing can be adjusted.
If you are a carer filling in the journal
If you help someone who finds writing difficult, or who has memory problems, you can fill in the journal with them. Ask them to give their own pain score where possible rather than guessing. If they cannot tell you, note what you observe instead, such as facial expressions, guarding a joint, changes in walking, being restless at night, eating less, or being more withdrawn. These signs are useful for GPs and nurses, and are the kind of thing observational pain tools used in care settings look for. Note who filled in each entry.
How to keep your journal going
- Pick one time each day. Many people fill it in in the evening, or first thing for stiffness and last thing for pain.
- Keep it visible. Leave the sheet and a pen by the kettle or your bed.
- Do not aim for perfect. Missing a day is fine. Just pick it up again.
- Be consistent with scores. Use the same scale and think about the same thing each time, for example your average pain today rather than the worst moment.
- Use a phone if you prefer. A notes app, a simple spreadsheet or a symptom-tracking app can work. If you use an app, check what it does with your health data before you sign up.
- Review weekly, not hourly. Looking for patterns every day can make you anxious. Ten minutes once a week is plenty.
How to read your journal
After two to four weeks, look back and ask:
- What is my usual range? Knowing your normal makes it easier to recognise a flare.
- What tends to come before a bad day? Look one or two days back. A big shopping trip, a poor night or a stressful event may show up.
- Is morning stiffness changing? Stiffness lasting longer than usual can be a sign of more active inflammation in inflammatory arthritis.
- Do my best days have anything in common? Often these show what to do more of, such as regular walks, pacing or earlier bedtimes.
- Is something I tried helping? Compare average scores for a couple of weeks before and after a change.
Be careful not to over-read single days. Pain naturally varies, and one bad day after eating a particular food or doing a particular activity does not prove a link. Patterns that repeat several times are more meaningful. Talk to your clinician before cutting out foods, stopping medicines or making big changes based on your journal.
Sharing your journal with your GP or rheumatology team
- Bring the appointment summary rather than every sheet, but have the sheets with you in case they want detail.
- Highlight anything new, such as a joint that has started swelling or a side effect.
- Be honest about what you find hard. Clinicians make better decisions when they know how arthritis affects your daily life.
- For telephone or video appointments, have your summary in front of you before the call.
- Ask how they would like you to report flares between appointments, for example through an advice line.
When to get medical help
A journal is for tracking, not for waiting out symptoms that need attention. Do not wait to record a pattern if you have:
- A suddenly hot, red, swollen, very painful joint, especially with fever or feeling unwell: call NHS 111 or go to A&E
- Signs of infection while taking immune-suppressing medicines: contact your GP or rheumatology team the same day, or NHS 111
- Chest pain, severe breathlessness, signs of a stroke or collapse: call 999
- New joint swelling, morning stiffness lasting over 30 minutes most days, or pain without a diagnosis: book a GP appointment
- Low mood, hopelessness or thoughts of self-harm: speak to your GP, call NHS 111, or call Samaritans free on 116 123
How long should I keep a pain journal?
Two to four weeks is usually enough to see your normal pattern and bring useful information to an appointment. Many people then keep a lighter version, such as a weekly score, and go back to daily tracking when they start a new treatment or have a flare.
What is the best pain scale to use in a journal?
A 0 to 10 scale is simple and widely used by NHS clinicians, with 0 meaning no pain and 10 the worst pain you can imagine. The most important thing is to use the same scale in the same way each day, for example scoring your average pain rather than the worst moment.
Is there a free printable arthritis pain diary?
Yes. The templates on this page are free to print. Use your browser's print option or save as a PDF from the print window. Print the weekly table once for each week you plan to track, and the appointment summary before each appointment.
Will my GP actually look at my pain diary?
Appointments are short, so a one-page summary is more likely to be read than weeks of sheets. Bring the summary with your top questions, and offer the detailed sheets if they want to see them. Clear, dated information can help your clinician judge how your treatment is working.
Should I use an app instead of paper?
Either works. Use whatever you will keep up. Apps can make charts and reminders easy, but check what happens to your health data and whether you can export your records. Paper is private, simple and easy to bring to appointments.
Can a pain journal help with PIP or work adjustments?
It can help you describe how symptoms vary and affect daily life. For PIP, focus on how you manage specific daily living and mobility activities, which our PIP evidence diary is designed for. For work, a record can support conversations about reasonable adjustments.
Sources and further reading
- NHS: Osteoarthritis
- NHS: Rheumatoid arthritis
- NICE NG100: Rheumatoid arthritis in adults
- NICE NG226: Osteoarthritis in over 16s
- Arthritis UK: Managing arthritis flare-ups
Educational information for people in the United Kingdom — not a diagnosis or personal medical advice. Charity no. 1218461. Pending clinical review. Everyone's situation is different, so always follow the advice of your own GP, pharmacist or rheumatology team. If you feel very unwell, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent advice, contact NHS 111.
Continue with related help
- Clinic appointment pack — prepare for appointments
- PIP evidence diary — recording daily living for benefits
- Flare action plan — what to do when symptoms spike
- Pain scales explained — how to score your pain
- Is it a true flare? — telling a flare from a bad day
- Pain relief — options to discuss