Orthopedic walker boot having a removable heel plate

1. An orthopedic walker boot comprising:

a substantially rigid external shell configured to receive a lower limb of a wearer, wherein said external shell includes an inner platform having an outer perimeter sized in substantial correspondence with the outer perimeter of the sole of the foot on the lower limb such that said outer perimeter of said inner platform substantially encircles the outer perimeter of the sole of the foot when the lower limb is received in said external shell and further wherein said inner platform is substantially horizontally aligned when the wearer is standing with the lower limb received in said external shell; and

a substantially rigid heel plate selectively transitionable between a detached condition and an attached condition with respect to said external shell, wherein said external shell has an open-heel configuration when said heel plate is in said detached condition and said external shell has a closed-heel configuration when said heel plate is in said attached condition and further wherein said heel plate in said attached condition is substantially vertically aligned perpendicular to said inner platform when the wearer is standing with the lower limb received in said external shell and said heel plate extends posteriorly around said external shell in substantially continuous correspondence with a posterior edge of said outer perimeter of said internal platform such that said heel plate forms a substantially continuous shield around the vertical posterior face of the heel of the foot.

2. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1 , wherein said external shell has a heel plate retention segment including a retention slot.

3. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 2 , wherein said heel plate has an outside face with a protruding upper portion having a bottom edge and an outside surface, said heel plate has a recessed lower portion having an outside surface, and said heel plate retention segment has an inside face, an outside face, and a top edge, further wherein said outside surface of said lower portion slidably engages said inside face of said heel plate retention segment and said bottom edge of said upper portion engages said top edge of said heel plate retention segment when said heel plate is in said attached condition.

4. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 3 , wherein said bottom edge of said upper portion continuously engages said top edge of said heel plate retention segment when said heel plate is in said attached condition such that said outside surface of said upper portion in combination with said outside face of said heel plate retention segment forms an essentially smooth continuous posterior surface of said orthopedic walker boot.

5. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1 , wherein said heel plate has a guide runner.

6. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1 , wherein said external shell has a heel plate retention segment including a retention slot and said heel plate has a guide runner, further wherein said retention slot is configured to slidably receive said guide runner therein when said heel plate is in said attached condition and to slidably discharge said guide runner when said heel plate is in said detached condition.

7. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 1 further comprising an internal boot positioned in said external shell, wherein said internal boot is sized to substantially enclose the ankle and foot of the lower limb of the wearer when the lower limb is received in said external shell.

8. An orthopedic walker boot comprising:

a rigid external shell configured to receive a lower limb of a wearer;

a selectively removable substantially rigid heel plate having a detached condition and an attached condition to provide said external shell with an open-heel configuration or a closed-heel configuration, respectively; and

a pliant internal boot positioned in said external shell, wherein said internal boot is sized to substantially enclose the ankle and foot of the lower limb of the wearer, further wherein said heel plate in said attached condition is continuously positioned adjacent to the vertical posterior surface of the heel when the lower limb is received in said external shell and substantially continuously shields the vertical posterior surface of the heel of the foot, and further wherein said heel plate in said detached condition does not substantially shield the vertical posterior surface of the heel.

9. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 8 , wherein said external shell has a heel plate retention segment including a retention slot and said heel plate has a guide runner, further wherein said retention slot is configured to slidably receive said guide runner therein when said heel plate is in said attached condition and to slidably discharge said guide runner when said heel plate is in said detached condition.

10. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 9 , wherein said heel plate has an outside face with a protruding upper portion having a bottom edge and an outside surface, said heel plate has a recessed lower portion having an outside surface, and said heel plate retention segment has an inside face, an outside face, and a top edge, further wherein said outside surface of said lower portion slidably engages said inside face of said heel plate retention segment and said bottom edge of said upper portion engages said top edge of said heel plate retention segment when said heel plate is in said attached condition.

11. The orthopedic walker boot of claim 10 , wherein said bottom edge of said upper portion continuously engages said top edge of said heel plate retention segment when said heel plate is in said attached condition such that said outside surface of said upper portion in combination with said outside face of said heel plate retention segment forms an essentially smooth continuous posterior surface of said orthopedic walker boot.