I tore up my knees pretty bad when I was younger. Between football and martial arts, I fairly shredded them...so I have some constant pain. Please bear in mind that I have no medical training...this is all just from past experience with similar problems.

If the pain is new, then you should probably consult a doctor. Most likely, it is the result of a cartilage tear or Tendonitis...possibly the early onset of arthritis depending on your age and past damage to the joint. After examination, a doctor may be able to repair this damage via arthoscopic surgery and alleviate a healthy chunk of the pain.

If you can't go to the doctor, or don't wish to under-go surgery if he suggests it, there are some basic things you can do yourself to improve the health of the joint.

Losing weight is one of the biggest things for most people. Depending on how much you are on your feet, a few extra pounds can increase both pressure and strain on your knees by quite a bit. Unless your a fairly skinny guy, this wouldn't be a bad option to start with since it has added health benefits.

The next thing you should consider is strengthening the joint itself. Light weights or even just low-impact aerobics (bicycling, elipticals, etc) will do wonders for building up the supporting muscles around the joint. Think of it this way, the more muscle you have around your knee to support the joint as it moves is that much less strain on tendons which do the same.

For immediate relief on particularly bad days, a hot bath or even heating pad tends to take the edge off. I would stay away from becoming too dependent on pain meds, as their effectiveness fades over time.

Other possible causes if you don't have an injury to the knee are your shoes. It is possible that your shoes have worn unevenly over the course of their life, and are now holding your weight at an awkward angle. This is an easy theory to test...wear a different pair of shoes for a few days and see if the pain fades.

Hope this helps a bit

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