Patients who undergo rotator cuff tear surgery need to attend physical therapy on recommendation of the treating physician. They may have to start physical therapy within 1-4 weeks after the surgery, depending on the size of the rotator cuff tear and the procedure performed. Patient may need to go to the physical therapist for 2-4 months, depending, on the size of the tear, the procedure performed, as well as recovery from the surgery. Patients are usually asked to be in physical therapy until they have attained almost 90-95% of their range of motion and strength without pain.