Anyone have recovery tips to share?
Here's the PT routine I got when I sprained mine.
10 air squats
10 split lunges/side (form tip: keep each knee bent 90 degrees. if you don't have a big mirror, film yourself)
10 lunges/side with backfoot up on the couch or bed
10 four-pointers/leg: this one requires a
sliding disc (or something that can slide on the floor like a towel on a wood floor). Squat down on left leg and slide right heel forward > return to standing. Squat on left side and slide right foot to the right > return to normal. Slide leg behind you to 6 o'clock > return to normal. Slide leg to opposite side (ends up being about 8 o'clock). Do all four points and that's considered 1 rep. In other words 10 four-pointers = 40 single leg squats per leg.
10 hamstring curls on your back. Lay on your back. Put your heels on the slider discs. Lift your butt up off the ground and slide your heels towards you butt. Keep butt elevated. Slide legs back out.
10 Single-leg deadlifts with a kettlebell
Dosage
Do what you can. The PT had me aim for two sets. But in the beginning, I couldn't get through 10 four-pointers.
Work your way to three or four sets of the whole thing.
Modifying exercises
In the beginning, the hamstring curls were too painful... too much pressure in my knee. So we modified it. I would lay on my back. Start with my heels curled towards my butt > lift butt off floor > slide legs out. Still had a little pain then, but much more manageable.
Dealing with pain
Some pain is okay, but too much means you should skip or modify the exercise. For example, my knee was making all kinds of crazy noises but didn't hurt too bad when doing the exercises. But as noted above, the hamstring exercise was causing a lot of pain/pressure.