Ankle brace with removable single piece hinge

Abstract

An ankle brace with a single piece hinge, interchangeable stirrup and pivot legs and an adjustable strap position fastener for protecting and exercising an injured ankle or for use with other orthopedic devices is described herein. The ankle brace pivots around a singular pivoting point on both the interior and the exterior portion of the lateral support members of the stirrup portion of the brace. The pivoting hinge of the ankle brace does not require use of metal rivets or bulky hinges and may be easily connected together by the wearer or manufacturer. The separable hinge design of the ankle brace described herein is sufficiently strong to provide substantial lateral support while allowing for forward and backward flexing of the ankle. The design also allows for interchanging the stirrup portion of the brace with different inner and outer pivot legs.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.