I'm only 17 but when I play my right hand/wrist hurt a little, and also while doing other things. I just got a job at a large grocery store and lifting heavy things like the cases of pop really hurts my wrist.. Also when I put my hand down like im reaching it to my elbow, it cracks/clicks every time and i know it hasn't always done that. My mom was more worried about my violin as that was my bow hand (was because I am not going to be playing violin much, im going to mostly focus on flute now) but I think it is more because of flute as it never hurt before.

I think another problem is because I am pretty petite.. I am only 5' and probably have shorter arms than a lot of people. I also have very small hands.. my teacher says I will probably have to always keep in the plugs for my right hand as when I finger something using RH keys and gizmo (like Db4/D4) it is impossible for me to keep the holes covered and reach the keys.. She was amazed at how small my hands were.. :P

Since I'm only 17 and plan to have my future in music (Music Therapy specifically, and have flute as my main instrument. I'd also like to teach private flute lessons and play a lot maybe in like a professional symphony or something like that) so I'd like to do all that I can now to insure that I can continue to play for a long time.

And to add..my moms side family (dunno about my dads) has a history of arthritis, I don't know much about tendinitis but I think they are somewhat similar, and musicians are at risk for both?

Suggestions/whatever is welcome! Thanks!

I suggest to get checked for carpal tunnel problems. Lifting heavy boxes and the like will aggravate this condition (or cause it), try to get a different job ASAP if you can. Nothing wrong (IMHO) to keep the plugs in place for as long as you need or forever, unless you need to bend notes or other fancy techniques for your planned music therapy profession or performing modern music .

In case you are diagnosed the carpal tunnel problem, it can be effectively treated and there is also a specific surgery for it.

You are probably too young to suffer arthritis, but again, you need to consult the specialists. My advise is to stop lifting weights immediately, at least until the problem is fully diagnosed.

Good luck

<Added>

There are important differences between artrhitis (an autoimmune chronic condition where only sympthoms can be treated but no definitive cure is known for the moment) and tendinitis, an inflamation of tendons (body tendons, I mean :) ) that is not permanent and can be alleviated and cured with proper medical advise and treatment. Both hurt much but of course they have different prognosis.

I have had problems like this in the past so I sympathize, it turned out that it was related to tension in the shoulders mainly, it was cured by studying a relaxation/meditation method called Feldenkreis, which also doubled by breath capacatity, Alexander technique and Yoga are also very good at addressing these problems...

also think about the angle at which you hold the flute in relation to your shoulders, many have come to me with the same complaint and, after seeing them play, realize that they hold the flute at the incorrect angle, causing pulling and tension in the shoulders and arms...

Good advice so far, I think.

I would just add one thing, and that's to stress the importance of warming up before you launch into playing. In particular, trying to play fast without a warm-up is asking for trouble, in my opinion.

Perhaps someone can chime in with something more organized, I'm pretty informal about it, but I'll usually start with a short general warm-up, with something like jumping jacks, or similar exercises. Then I follow up with some gentle wrist stretches.

As I start on the instrument, I'll try and do something slow and easy. Nothing too repetitive. At this point, I focus on eliminating any tension in my hands, shoulders, and so on. Cultivate a light touch, without moving my fingers away from the keys too far. I generally go through my scales, going through the circle of fifths, once I feel I'm warmed up a bit.

I'll admit I often skimp somewhat on warm-up on the flute, which I shouldn't. On the other hand, playing the guitar can be rather brutal on the hands, and that's one place I never skimp on warm-up. The flute requires very little force to play, make sure you aren't using more than necessary.

Hope that helps!

Grep.