When I started strength training consistently in my early years as a dental hygienist, I really believed it would change how my body felt at work. And in many ways, it did.

I felt stronger. More aware. More intentional.

But I still had many days where, by lunch, my shoulders were burning, my neck felt tight, and my head ached so much it was difficult to concentrate. Even if the day wasn’t totally chaotic. 

It was confusing and really frustrating.

Because I was doing the “right” things. So why did my body still feel like it was working so hard?

It took me a while to realize the problem wasn’t the movement. It was the holding.

What “holding” actually looks like during a clinical day

Most of us don’t feel like we’re doing anything extreme at work. We’re not lifting heavy objects. We’re not sprinting around the office (generally). We’re sitting or standing. We’re working on patients. We’re focused.

But when you look closer, the body is rarely fully at rest.

It looks like:

• The arms that stay slightly lifted while you scale or retract
• The neck that stays a bit flexed, so you can see just a little better
• The shoulders that never quite drop because you’re always “ready” for the next movement
• The core that stays lightly braced all day without you even realizing it
• The small twist through your torso instead of rolling your chair two inches closer

Even with good positioning, muscles stay partially engaged for long stretches of time. (Think: hovering, holding, staying “ready.”)

None of these moments feel major. That’s the thing. They feel small and normal. But they add up over the course of a full workday (and week).

Why this is so exhausting for the body

Our bodies are designed to move in and out of effort. Contract. Release. Engage. Soften. That natural rhythm is what keeps muscles healthy and helps the nervous system stay balanced.

Dental hygiene often interrupts that rhythm.

Instead of clear cycles of effort and rest, the body stays in a low-level state of tension for hours at a time. Muscles don’t get the same opportunities to fully let go. The nervous system doesn’t get many signals that it’s safe to settle.

When the nervous system stays “on,” muscles often stay guarded too. That’s part of why the body can feel heavy, tight, or tired even when you haven’t been moving much.

Because none of this feels big in the moment, it’s subtle and easy to miss. But over a full workday, it catches up with us.

This helps explain why many of us can feel strong and still end the day feeling drained.

Why stretching once after work often doesn’t feel like enough

A lot of hygienists try to do the “right things” to take care of their bodies. They stretch after work. They use a massage gun. They book massages. They try to stay consistent.

And yet, the tension keeps coming back. (Read: >>It’s Not a Knot?: What Every Dental Hygienist Needs to Know About Muscle Knots<<)

That can be frustrating, especially when you feel like you’re putting in the effort.

Part of the issue is timing. A short stretch at the end of the day doesn’t always offset eight or more hours of sustained holding. By the time you finally relax, your body has already spent the entire day in a heightened state of effort.

That doesn’t mean stretching is useless. It just means it often isn’t enough on its own, especially when all the release happens after the workday is already over.

The body does better with small releases throughout the day

Many of us notice the biggest shifts when we start paying attention to what the body is doing during the day.

That might look like:

• Letting the shoulders soften each time you grab a new instrument
• Taking one slow breath before getting your next patient from the waiting room
• Noticing when you’re clenching your jaw or gripping your instruments harder than necessary
• Choosing to roll the chair instead of twisting to reach

These small moments of awareness give the body short opportunities to come out of constant effort instead of staying in it all day long.

Over time, those small shifts can change how the entire workday feels in the body.

The takeaway for dental hygienists

If your body feels exhausted at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean you’re weak. It doesn’t mean you’re doing hygiene wrong. It often just means your body has been working harder than you realize.

Holding takes effort. Sustained effort adds up.

Awareness is usually the first step. Noticing what you’re holding, when you’re holding, and how often you’re able to let go throughout the day can start to shift the experience of work in a real way.

Just start by noticing. One moment at a time. 💜