Why A Dalhousie Grad Made Socks To Relieve Women’s Foot Pain

HALIFAX-For most of us, a sock is something we simply wear to cover our feet; we rarely think twice when it’s time to replace the ones that go missing from the dryer. But for thousands of women, the right sock can be the difference between comfort and chronic pain.

Providing that comfort was at the front of Emily MacArthur’s mind as she was preparing to graduate from Dalhousie University in 2020. When she was 22 and completing her Bachelor of Science degree, she was inspired by the plight of a family friend.

The friend was pregnant and, like many women carrying a child, she was suffering from foot pain. After buying compression socks upon recommendation, she quickly grew to dislike them.

“She found them super uncomfortable, irritating, and itchy and just plain ugly,” said MacArthur, who still lives in Halifax. “You wouldn’t want to be caught in public with them. There was no way she was going to wear them.”

This sparked an idea in MacArthur’s mind: to create a compression sock that is fashionable and comfortable. Basically, compression socks women will actually want to wear.

MacArthur joined forces with her brother, Nick MacArthur, and friend Ryan Brinkurst of Vancouver to create the company Pear Compression. The company worked with a graphic designer in Halifax to create a fashionable sock that also worked to relieve pain.

How do compression socks work? In the simplest terms, they apply pressure to the muscles and veins in your legs and feet to help blood circulate back to the heart. Thanks to the nature of gravity, it is normally difficult for the blood to recirculate from the feet to the heart, making our bodies work harder.

In other words, compression socks make it easier for the veins in the lowest parts of our body to do their jobs.

Pain is something many women face silently. When they try to get help, it’s often hard to find diagnosis or treatment. MacArthur faced this problem throughout her life; another reason she wanted to start Pear Compression.

“I was never able to get the help that I needed to relieve some of the pain I was having. This is a very common theme for women when they try to seek diagnosis,” recalled MacArthur

“There just has not been enough research in the past; with research being done predominantly focused on males. So, there are a lot of unknowns for women’s wellness.”

Pear Compression sold 1,000 units from its first polka dot collection, which launched 10 months ago. Now, the second collection is available and the company has gone with a “minimalist” style that will be fashionable with any outfit.

The new selection comes in tan, black and white. The costs range from $32 for the short length and $42 for the long. Because it is a medical device, some insurers will cover the cost, according to MacArthur.

Many women who wear compression socks are healthcare workers, who spend painful 12-hour shifts (or many more over the past two years) on their feet. Pear Compression is offering a discount for healthcare workers to thank them for all they’ve done during the pandemic.

But it’s not just people who are on their feet all day who can benefit from these socks. MacArthur notes that her boyfriend spends 10-hours a day sitting at his office desk, and he needs compression socks to treat his foot pain.

“Over the course of a day it gets harder, and your veins are working harder over time,” she said. “The blood just pools in his feet and it’s uncomfortable.”

Pear Compression was able to take off early as a business because the founders understood the importance of social media influencers in modern-day marketing.

When it launched, Pear Compression sent socks to Jillian Harris of “Love It or List It” fame. Harris also happens to have 1.3 million Instagram followers. Harris posted a picture of her with the socks and it was all uphill for Pear.

“For those 24 hours that her story was on her social media page, our sales were crazy. We more than tripled our social media following.”

Another influencer, Lauryn Bosstick (1.1 million followers) also promoted Pear Compression socks.

MacArthur is also using the new collection of socks to spread a message of love and acceptance. Over the past two years of stressful pandemic living, a lot of people have shorter fuses. That’s why the words “be kind” are printed on the new socks.

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”

Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].