Functional Yoga for Dental Hygienists: Relieving Pain and Tension

Do you wake up in the morning feeling stiff and achy—your body still feeling the effects of yesterday’s hectic hygiene schedule? As you stumble out of bed and make your way to the kitchen, you may notice the tension in your shoulders and the tightness in your lower back are becoming a common occurrence. You’re tired of feeling like this every day.

As a dental hygienist, you know all too well the physical demands the job places on your body. Hours of leaning over patients and endless repetitive motions can lead to muscle imbalances and pain—especially in the neck, shoulders, and back.

Imagine starting your day feeling refreshed, muscles relaxed, and mind focused, ready to take on your most challenging perio patient with ease. You even get to lunch on time for a change! You get home and don’t even complain to your partner or ask them to rub your shoulders.

Through functional yoga, I’ve not only found relief from my muscle imbalances—I’ve gained strength and flexibility and increased my mind-body connection. I’m able to move through patient appointments more efficiently because I no longer need to constantly cater to my musculoskeletal pain.

The best part? It’s accessible to everyone, regardless of age, body type, or fitness level.

It’s a practice that goes beyond traditional stretching and poses. It’s all about moving with purpose and aligning your body to release tight muscles, strengthen weak muscles, and create balance—making it ideal for hygienists.

In this blog, we’ll explore the basics of functional yoga, its benefits tailored for dental hygienists, and practical tips for weaving it into your daily routine.

Understanding Functional Yoga for Dental Hygienists

Functional yoga focuses on movements that stretch, strengthen, and stabilize simultaneously to give us better strength and mobility.

This addresses the unique imbalances you face as a hygienist (thank you static holds and repetitive motions 😖).

The goal is to restore proper alignment and balance, which increases flexibility, mobility, and strength in areas most affected by long days of treating patients.

The Benefits of Functional Yoga for Dental Hygienists

Targeted Flexibility and Mobility: By focusing on key muscle groups strained by dental tasks, functional yoga improves your range of motion, helping to prevent work-related injuries. (Think: Shoulder/rotator cuff with limited range of motion when reaching for the suction.)
Increased Strength and Stability: Strengthening specific muscles (especially around the core) increases your posture and reduces the risk of pain or injury, helping you move through your day with ease. (Almost all of our movements begin with or utilize the core.)
Mind-Body Connection: The practice encourages mindfulness and breath control which links our movements to our breath. (Thank goodness! Am I the only one holding my breath scaling the lower anteriors?!)
A Personalized Approach: We have unique demands. And functional yoga gives us customized poses and modifications, making sure everyone can benefit from the practice. (Like going into Child’s Pose instead of Downward Dog if our wrists are bothering us.)

Integrating Functional Yoga into Your Routine

Poses (especially dynamic—aka poses with movement) that can be done in between patients are ideal. I even use the time when my patient is rinsing to do things like roll out my wrists or stretch my neck.

Here are some poses to get you through your day:

Downward Dog is hands down (ha) the best full-body stretch you can do. And it’s not just a resting pose. It simultaneously stretches and strengthens the shoulders, arms, hands, wrists, back, and core—creating a balance of strength and flexibility. It also stretches the glutes, hamstrings, and calves. But you might want to do this one at home…I don’t know about you, but there’s no way I’m putting my hands on my operatory floor! 😷

Start on hands and knees with your wrists under shoulders and knees under hips
Tuck your toes under and lift your hips toward the ceiling, straightening your legs as much as feels comfortable
Keep your hands shoulder-width apart and press evenly through your palms to take pressure off your wrists
Engage your core and slightly tuck your chin to keep your spine long
If your hamstrings feel too tight, bend your knees slightly—don’t force your heels to touch the ground
Focus on taking slow, diaphragmatic breaths through your nose to encourage relaxation and stability
Hold for 5-15 deep breaths (30-90 seconds)

Standing Cat-Cow helps to mobilize the thoracic spine (upper back) making it easier to maintain good posture and reduce the load on the shoulders.

Stand facing the counter, feet hip-width apart
Place your hands on the edge of the counter
Inhale, arch the upper back, look up gently stretching your front (keep the lumbar spine neutral)
Exhale, round your upper back, push the counter away, tuck your chin to your chest
Repeat for 5 rounds
Alternatively, you can use a wall

Crescent Moon pose gives us a lot of bang for our buck. It stretches the shoulders, spine, sides of the body, hips, and quadriceps. We do a lot of lateral reaching while we work so it’s important to stretch the sides of our bodies.

Stand with the feet together or hip distance apart
Inhale arms overhead, grab hold of the right wrist
Exhale, send the hips to the right as you stretch the torso to the left
Hold for 5 deep breaths (30 seconds)
Return to center
Inhale arms overhead, grab the left wrist
Exhale, send the hips to the left as you stretch the torso to the right
Hold for 5 deep breaths (30 seconds)
Return to center

Crescent Lunges stretch your hip flexors, groin, quads, hamstrings, and calves while strengthening the thighs and glutes. Our hips and hamstrings can get extremely tight when we sit to work on patients. This can lead to lower back pain, so it’s important to stretch them regularly!

Begin with feet together, hands on hips
Step back with your left foot, keep the heel up (so you’re on the ball of the foot)
Bend the right knee, keeping it aligned over the ankle
Keep the weight even between the right foot and the ball of the left foot (you may need to widen or shorten your stance)
Hold onto the counter as needed for balance or extend your arms overhead and gaze up slightly (keep your shoulders relaxed!)
Hold for 5 deep breaths
Repeat on the other side

Wide-Legged Forward Fold Pose stretches the hips, hamstrings, and groin while strengthening the core. But I like to do it with a twist (not literally!) I only fold halfway to a flat back. This focuses more on the lower hamstrings (near the knee) which is what tends to be tighter for us. I can also get a deeper stretch because the hamstrings are forced to “work” by stabilizing me while they stretch. Bonus: It gives the core more of a workout!

Stand with your hands on your hips or lower back
Step the feet apart a little more than shoulder-width
Turn the toes in slightly
Engage your glutes and abs as you slowly lean forward with a flat back
Only lower until the torso is parallel with the floor
Bend the knees slightly if needed
Hold for 5-15 deep breaths (30-90 seconds)
Slowly return to stand

Adopting a regular functional yoga practice, even 2-3 times a week, can lead to noticeable improvements in strength, mobility, and job performance. Consistency is key!

The Takeaway

Functional yoga isn’t just about relieving discomfort—it’s about maintaining your career longevity as a dental hygienist. With consistent practice, you can not only change how you feel during the workday but also elevate your overall quality of life.