gryfalcon hit the nail on the head. I recall my first hip replacement and I really balked. The main reason is that I knew someone who had both hips replaced and he really was bad. I also knew a couple of folks who had one side done and they walked with a limp. So I put it off way too long. It was so bad that at times I simply could not move a muscle without screaming with pain. Fortunately it would let up enough so that I could move again but with pain. Then it would lock up again. It was He!! for sure. Then I had the surgery and within a week I was walking about 1/4 mile and increased that daily. Then my wife had her first hip replacement 3 weeks after mine. When I went to the hospital I was surprised to find her in the very same room I was in. I walked into the PT department and they remembered me and could hardly believe how well I was walking and even without crutches or walker. No, it is not a good idea to put that surgery off.