An external ankle brace is provided with a rigid heel enclosure for receiving the heel of the shoe, a lateral and medial sidewall for surrounding the sides of the shoe, a lateral and medial upright extension for housing the lower leg of the user, a lower fastening system for connecting the lateral and medial sidewalls underneath the sole of the shoe, and an upper fastening system for connecting the lateral and medial sidewall across the top of the shoe. The lateral and medial upright extensions are pivotally connected to the respective sidewalls by a lateral and medial ankle joint. This allows the external ankle brace to pivot in a second direction while preventing the external ankle brace to move in a first direction. Furthermore, the rigid heel enclosure includes oppositely disposed upper and lower ends, where the medial ankle joint is positioned closer to the upper end than the position of the lateral ankle joint.
