Many survivors of critical illness have considerable functional impairment; a substantial contributor to such impairment is ICU-acquired weakness. Recovery is often slow and incomplete in such patients, particularly those who are elderly. Although some of the risk factors, such as sepsis, cannot necessarily be prevented, aggressive treatment of such conditions is nevertheless important to minimize subsequent morbidity. Other risk factors, such as severe hyperglycemia, can be attenuated with the use of insulin therapy with careful monitoring to avoid hypoglycemia. Early mobilization of patients in the ICU, although not a traditional approach, has become established as an evidence-based strategy to reduce the deconditioning and dysfunction so commonly seen in survivors of critical illness. For this strategy to be successful, ongoing attention to minimizing the use of sedation is important. In addition, care providers in the ICU must acknowledge the importance of a multidisciplinary care model to optimize the efficacy of early mobilization. Although preliminary data are encouraging, more research clearly is needed to determine whether the benefits of mobilizing patients in the ICU are sustained after hospital discharge.