Most people think of an exam as looking forward, from the crash to the next appointment. An examiner also needs to look backward. What did an ordinary week look like before the wreck? A written description of that normal routine is sometimes called a baseline, and it is simply a plain account of how you lived and moved before anything changed.
You do not need a perfect memory to build one. Start with things that already have dates on them. Work schedules, calendar entries for practices or league nights, school pickups, and weekend plans are all useful. Phone photos from that week may show how you were sitting, lifting, or carrying things. Text messages where you mentioned a long shift or a stiff neck can help too.
What to Write Down
Make a short list in your own words. Focus on activities: hours standing on a line, lifting boxes or bags, the length of your drive to work, how you slept, and whether you sat in a chair for long stretches at a desk or in a truck. Write what was normal for you, not what seemed ideal. If you bowled every Thursday, put that down. If you were already sore from a weekend project, include that as well, because it is part of your real starting point.
Keep each line to facts you can stand behind. A sentence like 'I lifted 40-pound feed bags on most Saturdays' is more useful than 'I was in good shape.' If you cannot pin down a date, say so. Writing 'the Saturday before the crash, I think' is honest and still helpful. Guessing and presenting the guess as fact is what makes a record hard to trust.
Why Examiners Ask
A baseline is a comparison point. When an examiner knows what you did before the crash, the questions can be more specific about what has changed and what has stayed the same. This is general educational context, not a finding. Only a licensed provider can evaluate your body, and no list you write decides what an exam shows.
Be open about gaps. If you did not exercise much before the crash, say so. If you had an earlier injury, mention it, even if it healed years ago. Past injuries are not a reason to skip an exam. They are part of your history, and a complete history is easier to work with than a partial one.
Include the ordinary things that people often skip. Many people forget that they carried a child on one hip every morning, drove a delivery route with frequent stops, or worked a second job on weekends. Those details can matter because they describe how your body was actually used.
Bring It to the Visit
Keep the list in a folder or on your phone, and bring a printed copy if you can. Put it with your other paperwork so you do not have to search for it in the waiting room. Read it through once before you leave home. You will be able to describe your normal more clearly if you have already said it out loud.
Bring your questions as well. If something on your list seems unclear to you, ask how the examiner would like it described. Many people find that writing the baseline first makes the conversation at the visit easier, because they already know what they want to say.
If your symptoms are severe, sudden, or getting worse, do not wait to finish any paperwork. Get prompt medical attention, and follow the emergency guidance on this page. The baseline is for an exam that can be planned, not for a situation that needs immediate care.
For residents on the Illinois side of the river, the work is the same wherever you go in the St. Louis area. Gather the dates, write the normal week in plain language, mark what you are unsure about, and bring the page with you. It is a small task that can be finished in one sitting, and it gives the person examining you a clearer picture of where you started.