Jonathan C. Cotton, MD

4.8

263 ratings Read Reviews

Northwestern Medical Group

Primary Specialty

Orthopaedic Surgery

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Practice Focus Areas

This medical professional has a particular interest or expertise in:

Arthroscopic Surgery - Knee
Arthroscopic Surgery - Shoulder
Athletic Knee Problems
Elbow Disorders
Hip Replacement Surgery
Knee Replacement Surgery
Musculoskeletal Trauma
Osteoarthritis

Reasons to Schedule a Visit

This medical professional may be a good choice for you if you are looking for care for any of the following:

Acl, meniscus, ligament tear
Arthritis
Bicep or tricep rupture
Biceps or pectoral rupture
Dislocation
Elbow dislocation
Elbow pain
Hamstring or quadriceps problem or tendonitis
Hip replacement - new replacement

Hip replacement (new replacement)
Knee replacement - new replacement
Labral (cartilage that cushions a joint) tear or hip impingement (problem with the hip bones)
Labral tear or hip impingement
Pain
Quadriceps or patellar tendon rupture or tear
Shoulder replacement - new replacement
Suspected or known fracture or broken bone(s)
Tendonitis or tennis elbow

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Education

Medical Education:: MD, University of Nebraska College of Medicine - 2008
Residency:: University of Kansas School of Medicine - 2013
Fellowships:: University of South Florida Morsani - 2014

Board Certifications

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery - Orthopaedic Surgery (Certified)

Practice Groups and Affiliations

Medical Group:: Northwestern Medical Group
Alignment Category:: Northwestern Medicine Physician Network
On Medical Staff At:: Palos Hospital

Ratings and Reviews

At Northwestern Medicine, our patient’s feedback is important to us. While different care providers have their own unique strengths, we strive to be as transparent as possible with our quality of care.

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Overall Rating

4.8

4.8

263 Ratings

Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

February 24, 2026

5.0

He makes you feel comfortable

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February 23, 2026

5.0

Friendly, knowledgeable, patient with me. Answered my questions. Took appropriate time for my appointment.

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February 21, 2026

5.0

Friendly and quite knowledgeable.

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February 21, 2026

5.0

Very good doctor,he is patient,caring,knowledgeable and thorough

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February 20, 2026

5.0

Dr Cotton is very helpful. He has a good bed side manner, is knowledgeable and made my son feel comfortable. We appreciate he was on time and provided honest feedback on my son's care.

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February 19, 2026

5.0

Dr. Cotton provided excellent information on my condition. I was able to choose procedure based on what I learned about my problems with my hand.

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February 19, 2026

5.0

He took the time to explain what was going on with my situation, and provided me with exercises for preventative care.

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February 18, 2026

5.0

Once again everyone is on the professional level caring for their patients

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February 18, 2026

5.0

Very knowledgeable and thorough. Very patient.

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February 18, 2026

5.0

Very knowledgeable, kind and caring

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February 12, 2026

5.0

It place and he is great and caring about his patience

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February 11, 2026

5.0

Very personable and caring.

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February 09, 2026

5.0

Polite, professional and very straight forward.

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February 09, 2026

5.0

Shots from the hip

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February 06, 2026

5.0

He did a great job and great follow through

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February 04, 2026

5.0

Dr, Cotton was extremely helpful and explained things very undestandably.

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February 02, 2026

5.0

Engaged Dr.

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February 02, 2026

5.0

He was very pleasant and professional

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February 02, 2026

5.0

I have heard stories about my procedure from people about the pain. But the pain was reasonable, so I can only account for this for the skill and technique of Dr Cotton preforming my surgery.

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January 28, 2026

5.0

He was very compassionate and explained everything to me in detail.

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January 27, 2026

5.0

Explained everything

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January 27, 2026

5.0

He is informative and knows what he is doing. I trust him. He has done 3 surgeries on me and every one of them went smoothly.

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January 26, 2026

5.0

He was patient with all my questions, Did not rush through the visit and explained everything well. Very friendly

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January 25, 2026

5.0

Medical team took good care of me and everything seemed to work ok doing Home therapy

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January 23, 2026

5.0

Very nice Dr

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January 23, 2026

5.0

Professional, put you as the patient at ease.

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January 21, 2026

5.0

Dr Cotton was Wonderful. He was personable and informative. I would gladly see him again if need be.

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January 21, 2026

5.0

Dr Cotton was courteous, knowledgeable, professional and caring

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January 19, 2026

4.0

Lil quick but I like direct and to the point, got what I thought might be next step so satisfied.

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January 19, 2026

5.0

His explanation of the X-ray and possible outcomes in the future gave me hope that this would not lead to any surgery.

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January 17, 2026

5.0

Dr Cotton was very confident in his prognosis that it reassured my decision.

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January 14, 2026

5.0

Straight forward and friendly

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January 08, 2026

5.0

Very professional.

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January 07, 2026

5.0

Very thorough in explaining my medical concern and answered all questions

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December 28, 2025

5.0

doctor had all information of my visit

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December 26, 2025

5.0

Listens to what you say. Care about your health his surgery skills are excellent

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December 24, 2025

5.0

Dr. Cotton is caring, knowledgeable and effective.

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December 23, 2025

5.0

He was effective and to the point

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December 19, 2025

5.0

Dr. Cotton thoroughly prepared me for the surgery and advised me what I would need to do for the best possible outcome. I believe he is open, honest and totally knowledgeable about what he is doing.

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December 18, 2025

5.0

He listened to us and answered all our questions. He seemed very knowledgeable in his field and offered us information to help us deal with our situation going forward.

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December 17, 2025

5.0

Dr took plenty of time to give me information and answer all the questions I had. I would highly recommend him.

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December 16, 2025

5.0

Could not have asked for better care

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December 15, 2025

5.0

Doctor was knowledgeable and personable.

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December 11, 2025

5.0

Excellent service

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December 11, 2025

5.0

He's a good man and doctor

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December 10, 2025

5.0

Dr.Cotton is very thorough explaining why and how the surgery would work. Dr. Cotton dismissed any anxiety I had about hip replacement. I knew from his experience and confidence in the surgery I was going to return to good health!

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December 08, 2025

5.0

Thorough

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December 08, 2025

5.0

Great diagnosis and insights. Takes the time to help you understand options

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December 05, 2025

5.0

Dr.Cotton's sincere concern for my well being is greatly appreciated. He is admirably professional in his care of me as a patient. He is very approachable with questions and answers them with a reassuring confidence that eased my concerns. I highly recommend Dr. Cotton.

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December 05, 2025

5.0

Dr Cotton is very informative and caring. Comes up with solutions to my problems.

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December 01, 2025

5.0

Kind man and informative

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December 01, 2025

5.0

Caring, understanding & patient

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December 01, 2025

5.0

Smart,listens,and works the plan

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November 26, 2025

4.0

I have met with Dr. Cotton several times. He will be doing my knee replacement surgery on Dec.2nd. So far, I think he is great. He is concise and down to earth. He seems thorough, knowledgeable and organized.

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November 26, 2025

5.0

He offered choices, and let me make the decision.

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November 24, 2025

5.0

Dr Cotton, is very good and explains everything.

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November 14, 2025

5.0

Very knowledgeable and very approacheble

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November 14, 2025

5.0

Excellent

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November 12, 2025

5.0

He was very nice

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November 10, 2025

5.0

Clear & understanding. Explained situation clearly. Very friendly.

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November 09, 2025

5.0

The people are very nice caring and it's a great place to go to for help

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November 08, 2025

4.0

Same as above. If I was ever asked I definitely would.

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November 08, 2025

5.0

Listen, and solve problems

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November 07, 2025

5.0

He gave a solution the other doctors never offered.

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October 31, 2025

5.0

Caring persona.

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October 30, 2025

5.0

Good listening skills. Explain the MRI disc and the pictures to me with arthritis in the knee. Had a plan and we are now in the process of executing it for some relief for my pain.

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October 27, 2025

5.0

Efficient,thorough and easy to talk to

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October 27, 2025

5.0

Friendly demeanor and knowledgeable.

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October 27, 2025

5.0

I've seen Dr Cotton for many yrs starting w broken bone in foot, now arthritis issues. He is so nice!! Very pleasant. Listens/Explains things well. Doesn't push unnecessary treatments. I feel he treats me as he would his family members. Also...I never feel the cortisone shots he gives in my knee!! Nothing at all. That's a bonus!! Completely confident w his care!!

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October 23, 2025

5.0

On time, took his time to explain and evaluate, friendly and caring

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October 22, 2025

5.0

Very professional and friendly. Explains everything.

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October 19, 2025

5.0

Very likely I already have recommended him to 2 people who are in need of surgery, at this time.

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October 17, 2025

5.0

Dr. Cotton is very caring and took time to listen

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October 15, 2025

5.0

Doctor was knowledgeable and took good amount of time with me.

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October 15, 2025

5.0

Dr cotton is very caring and very informative you should be proud he is working for northwestern medicine

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October 15, 2025

5.0

Great! Dr. Very caring and considerate.

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October 14, 2025

5.0

Very knowledgeable and caring.

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October 13, 2025

5.0

He's really good

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October 10, 2025

5.0

I liked his way of explaining his diagnosis.

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October 08, 2025

5.0

Very personable, knowledgeable, explained everything well, explored all treatment options

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October 06, 2025

5.0

Very professional ... easy to talk to and answered any questions and concerns. Very informative

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October 06, 2025

5.0

He explained what he was going to do and what I should expect afterwards

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October 06, 2025

4.0

Kind

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October 06, 2025

5.0

Dr Cotton explained everything to me thoroughly

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October 03, 2025

5.0

Very professional and courteous and explains everything

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October 02, 2025

5.0

Great doctor.

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September 30, 2025

5.0

Explained everything that was going on w/ my knee!

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September 25, 2025

5.0

He's great !

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September 25, 2025

5.0

Extremely knowledgeable.

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September 25, 2025

5.0

Listened to me and made me feel very comfortable.

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September 18, 2025

5.0

Dr. Cotton took great care of my child. He listened to our concerns.

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September 17, 2025

5.0

First time meeting him. He was very concerned about my injury. He reduced my anxiety will a sense of humor. His explanation of what I should do was excellent and I am happy I was referred to him by Immediate Care.

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September 14, 2025

5.0

VERY CONCERNED ABOUT PAIN YOU ARE IN.

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September 09, 2025

5.0

Personable and clear directions.

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September 09, 2025

5.0

Very nice very professional cares about you you people at northwestern should be proud to have him at your facility

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September 04, 2025

5.0

This was my first visit with Dr. Cotton and It went well . I would recommend him to other people.

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September 03, 2025

5.0

Knowledgeable and professional.

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September 03, 2025

5.0

He spent time with me discussing my problem and treated it perfectly. He and the staff are excellent.

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August 30, 2025

5.0

Very professional, very thorough

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August 29, 2025

5.0

In additional to professional and knowledgeable, he listens to concerns and answered all our questions.

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External Professional Relationships

Pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies frequently collaborate with basic scientists and physicians within an academic medical center to help advance science and improve patient care. These relationships are important in achieving scientific breakthroughs and in establishing the effectiveness and safety of promising new therapies. In order to assure objectivity in clinical research and patient care, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Feinberg), Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have adopted integrity policies that require research and clinical faculty (in full-time, part-time, and unpaid/voluntary categories) to report compensated and uncompensated external industry relationships. Patients are encouraged to discuss these disclosures with their physician as well as to inquire as to how these relationships are overseen by Feinberg. To learn more about our Disclosure and Professional Integrity Policy, and the conflict of interest policies of our joint affiliate survey partners, please go to our Office for Regulatory Affairs Policies page.

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