I feel terrible about all these bad experiences. I am almost ten years out after bilateral total knee replacements in 2015. They do feel like my original knees - no pain, no clicking, etc.. I don't run because I am not interested in wearing out the protheses and having revision TKRs but I certainly feel that I could get back to running miles - my running many miles and jumping rope (2000 times a day) was probably the excessive behavior that brought me into the orthopedic surgeon's office.
I did a lot of research and found a great surgeon. He and his anesthesiologists worked with patients to find out the biggest problem areas. Then they modified their techniques and technologies to correct those problems. That may have been part of the reason my experiences were good.
I also had a hip done by this same surgeon. I was walking with out pain, without a walker, without any pills at all, within three days.
I had a shoulder done at the same facility. Same experience. I never did PT with any of these replacements.
Being in good shape before the surgery, no matter how much terrible pain it takes to go through those exercises I think paid off. Also, as others have indicated, taking care to selecting a surgeon that does research, teaching, and clinical work can pay off.