External ankle brace

An external ankle brace for restricting movement of an ankle in a first direction and permitting movement of the ankle in a second direction, wherein said external ankle brace is disposed on the exterior of a shoe and the shoe having a heel portion, a sole, and oppositely disposed sides, comprising:

• a rigid heel enclosure having a rear portion and a forward portion;
• said rear portion for receiving the heel of the shoe;
• said forward portion having a medial sidewall and a lateral sidewall for surrounding the sides of the shoe;
• a lateral upright extension perpendicular to said rigid heel enclosure and attached to said lateral sidewall;
• a medial upright extension perpendicular to said rigid heel enclosure and attached to said medial sidewall;
• a lower fastening system comprising at least one connecting strap for connecting said lateral sidewall to said medial sidewall underneath the sole of the shoe;
• and
• an upper fastening system comprising at least one connecting strap for removably connecting said lateral sidewall to said medial sidewall across the top of the shoe;
• wherein at least a chosen one of the lateral and medial upright extensions is selectively pivotally attached to a corresponding lateral or medial sidewall, the chosen one of the lateral and medial upright extensions including a pivot prevention feature configured to selectively prevent pivoting of the chosen one of the lateral and medial upright extensions with respect to the corresponding lateral or medial sidewall.