Objective To evaluate the clinical effects of physical therapy combined with exercise rehabilitation on acute rotator cuff injury.Methods Eighty patients with acute rotator cuff injury were divided into observation group and control group according to treatment methods.The patients in the observation group were treated with physical therapy combined with exercise rehabilitation training, while the patients in the control group were treated only with physical therapy.After the treatment, the clinical effects of the two groups were compared.Results The total effective rate of the observation group was 92.5%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (45.0%).Before the treatment, the specific scores of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder scale were similar in the two groups.After the treatment, the scores of pain, function, active forward flexion, strength of forward flexion, and satisfaction of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group, and the VAS scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group.The active forward range of motion (ROM) and external rotation ROM of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion The treatment of acute rotator cuff injury by physical therapy combined with exercise rehabilitation shows a high total effective rate and definite clinical effects including excellent recovery of shoulder joint ROM and reduced pain, which is beneficial to recovery from acute rotator cuff injury.