Christine Ellis
Jun 28, 2017
Little Daniel (patient’s name has been changed) came to our clinic hoping for answers. He was living in a children’s home in Honduras, and although they had cared for him well since his arrival, his little body was deformed from years of malnourishment. He had experienced developmental delays and showed signs of scoliosis, making it impossible for him to attend first grade. He was confined to the home with little hope of improvement.
The provider who saw Daniel sent him to a new area of MMO’s clinic: Physical Therapy. Dr. David Stamp, PT, DPT, ACT, was able to examine Daniel and prescribe exercises that his caretakers could use to help correct the curvature in his spine and relieve some of his pain.
Just one year later, we were thrilled to see Daniel’s improvement. His drastic improvement over time has made him much more mobile, and he is even able to attend school.
Dr. Stamp has traveled with Medical Missions Outreach to Honduras, Kenya, and Panama to provide physical therapy to long lines of hurting patients. He and his wife Maria are members of Rosedale Baptist Church of Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Stamp is passionate about sharing the gospel through the ministry of physical therapy. He recently shared his heart for this important area of our clinic:
Medical Missions Outreach is excited to include Physical Therapy as one of the many ways we show the love of Christ through medicine. Our board certified Physical Therapists and Physical Therapy Assistants provide a very unique form of treatment: the laying on of hands. The human touch, while so simple, cannot be underappreciated and goes a long way in showing those who come through our clinics that we love and care for them. We see the power of touch as we look to Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law or His commandment to the twelve apostles in Mark 16:18 “…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Our therapists treat a vast majority of patients with problems such as low back pain, neck pain, arthritic knees, painful and stiff shoulders, and a host of other orthopedic (musculoskeletal) conditions. The treatments used for such conditions include therapist-applied manual stretching, joint mobilization, soft tissue massage, exercise prescription, postural reeducation, and life style modifications. When available, patients can also receive additional treatments such as splinting, ace wrapping, Biofreeze, and Theraband (resistance bands) to take home. This one-on-one treatment time is an extremely rare blessing not only for the patients we serve in other countries, but would also be considered rare even in the States.
If you or any one you know is a Physical Therapist or Physical Therapy Assistant, please ask them to pray about joining us on our next trip. Even if you are not a therapist, pray about what God might have you to give towards MMO purchasing items such as Biofreeze, Theraband, splinting/wrapping equipment and even portable treatment tables. This unique and powerful discipline within our ministry has the ability to break down barriers across cultures and soften hearts to receive the loving gospel of Jesus Christ.