What are potential consequences from stalling total hip replacement surgery?

Continued pain: You will just have to live with the pain that the joint replacement surgery is meant to alleviate. You may also start to alter your gait and cause other problems with your knee, feet, back, etc.

Worsening symptoms: Arthritis causes a loss of cartilage, followed by bone and muscle changes that can lead to stiffening, shortening, and weakness in the hip. The pain and loss of function will gradually worsen over time. Tha can restore function and relieve pain at most any point in the process. Conservative measures can be used as long as you like without fear of causing 'too much' damage to repair.

Pain and bone loss: In most cases, waiting is just a quality of life issue. Occasionally, I have had patients who waited so long that they ground down the roof of the hip socket, making the reconstruction more difficult. Check in with your surgeon yearly.