12 Ways to Tell If It's Arthritis or Just Winter — How to Tell the Difference and When to See a Doctor

9. How activity affects pain

Watch how movement changes your symptoms. Osteoarthritis pain often worsens with activity that stresses the joint and improves with rest. Some inflammatory conditions can feel worse after prolonged rest and may improve somewhat with gentle, steady movement. Weather-related pain commonly eases after you warm up and move around. If gentle activity consistently helps and symptoms fade, that’s reassuring. But if activity makes pain much worse, especially to the point you can’t continue normal tasks, that pattern suggests structural or inflammatory disease that may need targeted treatment.

10. Tracking symptoms: a simple home diary

A short symptom diary is one of the most useful tools you can use before visiting a clinician. Track the date, weather (cold/damp/storm), time of day, activity before pain, how long stiffness lasts, any swelling or redness, and pain severity on a 1–10 scale. Do this for two weeks to a month. Patterns often emerge—maybe pain spikes only on cold mornings, or perhaps it’s present every night. This record gives your provider a clearer picture and can shorten the time to the right diagnosis and treatment. Keep entries simple and consistent; your notes are more useful than attempts at precise measurements.