©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Crit Care Med. Mar 9, 2026; 15(1): 108062
Published online Mar 9, 2026. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v15.i1.108062
Published online Mar 9, 2026. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v15.i1.108062
Physiotherapy approaches for pain control in patients who are critically ill
Ana Claudia Ometto, Gustavo Brasil Marcelino, Gabriella Cristina Nogueira Pereira, Felipe Farah Pinheiro Rodrigues, Raquel Afonso Caserta Eid, Arnaldo Alves da Silva, Department of Critical Care, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo 05652-900, Brazil
Co-first authors: Ana Claudia Ometto and Gustavo Brasil Marcelino.
Author contributions: Ometto AC provided the study design and conception and performed the original writing and subsequent revision of the manuscript; Marcelina GB and Pinheiro Rodrigues FF performed the original writing and subsequent revision of the manuscript; Marcelino GB, Nogueira Pereira GC provided important intellectual contributions to the study’s performance of the literature review; Caserta Eid RA provided the study design and performed the data interpretation and revisions to the manuscript; da Silva AA provided the overall study supervision and critical revisions to the manuscript, and is responsible for all duties as the corresponding author.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Corresponding author: Arnaldo Alves da Silva, MD, PhD, Professor, Senior Researcher, Department of Critical Care, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Av. Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo 05652-900, Brazil. renalmater@gmail.com
Received: April 9, 2025
Revised: August 5, 2025
Accepted: November 17, 2025
Published online: March 9, 2026
Processing time: 330 Days and 14.3 Hours
Revised: August 5, 2025
Accepted: November 17, 2025
Published online: March 9, 2026
Processing time: 330 Days and 14.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Physiotherapy interventions offer effective nonpharmacological approaches to pain management in intensive care unit patients, potentially reducing reliance on opioids and their associated complications. This review highlights six evidence-based modalities-early mobilization, positioning, manual therapy, thermotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and photobiomodulation-that can complement conventional analgesic strategies. These interventions demonstrate efficacy in reducing pain intensity while improving patient comfort through multiple physiological mechanisms, presenting viable options for comprehensive pain management protocols in critical care settings.