I tore my rotator cuff in a serious cycling accident several years ago. Rotator cuff injuries are very serious and can lead to chronic pain symptoms and significant range of motion loss in your arm / shoulder. My tear was not too extensive and after going through my options (including surgery) with my orthopedist I opted to try PT and exercise to rehab my shoulder. As others have mentioned RC surgery is quite invasive and involves a long recovery / rehab period of 1+ years post surgery and you might only realize marginal benefits after going through the process. My shoulder is still effed up a bit and gives me some nagging pain now and again but the limitations it has caused are minor and I'm glad I did not opt for surgery. Bottom line is to rigorously follow the orthopedists recommendations and put maximum effort into PT. Surgery is definitely a last resort.