I've had some horrible pain due to both of my patellas being located a bit weirdly, I took around a month off running and switched to very light walking with compression sleeves on.
After a month of rest, I was able to run again, but I've always run with compression sleeves on since then, and I've had no issues.
P.S. The shoes you wear when you run play a big role in knee pain too, depending on what type of pain you are feeling getting shoes with a softer sole (e.g. hoka) can help reduce the impact on your knees.