knee pain

[Lithium381]

Recently, i'd say a month or so i've been experiencing pain in my left knee. i also have trouble /minor "discomfort" when stretching my left hammy/glut. I first suspected my sciatic nerve, but can't really diagnose that on my own. I realized that my shoes were almost two years old, with the original insoles, so two days ago i bought new insoles..."dr scholles knee pain relief inserts". within these two days my foot pain had gone away substantially, and i'm hoping that it will also help me knee.
I also want to purchase a brace for my knee. I work retail and spend the majority of the day on my feet. Since the pain started i have found that i have a tendency to lock my knee when standing....i've been trying to make a concentrated effort to stop this habit but it's hard. I was curious to know if there is a brace that will help me stop locking my knee, or a brace that might help my pain. There are a lot of different braces out there and i don' know the differences.

 

[Lithium381]

Also, I don't lift weights very often any more, but i do play a moderatly agressive game of badminton about once a week. most of the stress SHOULD land on my right knee for this sport. i've been playing for two years now and this is only a recent development, so i'm not suspecting this activity, but not ruling it out either.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Have you checked leg length difference? The insoles might be helping to compensate for that, but if your legs aren't equal in length a thin felt pad insert might make the knee pain disappear.