Robert Mitchell, DO

My career as an Orthopedic surgeon is related to influences from both my maternal grandfather and my father. When I was a young child, my grandfather encouraged me to go into medicine when I was older. Comparing my own natural curiosity and good grades with a nephew of his who was a Harvard orthopedic physician, he felt a medical career would be a good fit.

My decision to specifically choose to become an orthopedic surgeon can be attributed to my father. He was a diesel mechanic and handy at everything. I would help him in his shop after school and his ability to fix anything always fascinated me. In assisting my father, I became extremely skilled with tools at a young age. Orthopedic surgeons are the “mechanics” of the human body. To me, it was an easy decision when I started medical school that I applied those skills to repairing human bodies.

I attended St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, majoring in biology before entering Midwestern University Chicago, College of Osteopathic Medicine. There I earned my medical Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree before continuing to complete surgical residency training. I am board certified in Orthopedic Surgery by the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

Today, my practice as an OrthoIllinois physician serving regional communities in the I-80 corridor of north central Illinois through OSF Healthcare, offers bone and joint care for knees, hips, shoulders, and upper extremity as well as fracture management. This includes arthroscopic surgeries such as labral and rotator cuff repair, and ACL and meniscal repair. I am skilled in upper extremity treatments such as cubital/carpal tunnel surgery and perform total joint replacement of the hip and knee. In fact, I have been utilizing robotic-assisted total joint replacement since 2019.

As a Doctor of Osteopathy, I follow the principle of the DO motto, “The body has an inherent ability to heal itself,” whenever possible. But when it is clear the body could use a little extra help, I am ready to provide that surgical assistance to help my patients resume the more pain-free and active life they desire.

When I am not practicing medicine, I enjoy weightlifting, biking, and any cardo exercise. I am an avid fisherman and hunter, hunting pheasant and white-tailed deer locally, black bear in Minnesota, and traveling out west for elk.

Assisted By

Debra Pyzska, PA-C