David,
Great post, thank you. My surgeon (Dr. Gross) seems to be cautious about physical therapy. I took it very easy after surgery. When my six months was up I started lifting some little weight at the gym (instead of just going through the motions - a cortisone shot in the shoulder helped too). But here I am at 14 months post-surgery and I am still leg pressing one plate a side (through a pretty small range of motion), when ten years ago it was five plates a side until my knees hit my chest.
Post-surgery when I was being overly cautious I sometimes felt guilty for not doing more in the way of PT or exercise, but I just knew my body needed to heal. Then, like magic, at just over a year, some athleticism started to return. Of course, now the other hip is quickly falling apart, but I digress...
We're not professional athletes here, and do not need to get back on the field in six weeks.
Mike