SAI (Surgical Appliance Industries) was founded in 1893 by Joel Adams and his son-in-law Isaac Pease. The two had been manufacturing livery items and selling them in the bustling Port of Cincinnati to settlers on their way west. However, the advent of the automobile meant the end of the line for this kind of business.

The company was originally called the Ohio Truss Company (OTC), formed for the purpose of manufacturing and selling trusses, abdominal belts, elastic hosiery and surgical goods. Early on Joel and Isaac would pack their wares into trunks and travel by train throughout Ohio, selling off their goods along the way. But real growth for their company began when they engaged a sales group from a defunct candy company who had excellent contacts among pharmacists.

Through the decades the company’s product line has continually evolved with the market, with emphasis shifting from trusses to orthopedic garments since the 1940s, along with mobility and convalescent aids since the ‘50s, retail-focused soft goods since the ‘70s, and a heavy concentration on compression therapy products since the ‘90s.

Today, the majority of our products are proudly manufactured at our facilities in the US and Canada. SAI’s products are divided into six major brand categories. Each showcases quality and innovation and are manufactured for maximum therapeutic benefit and wearer comfort. Click the links below for historical overviews of how each brand came to be what it is today.