I ran into the corner of the countertop and think i broke a rib. what should i do?

If you are having: Any difficulty breathing, go to the ER. If not, be sure to take deep breaths and cough frequently to prevent pneumonia. You can hold a pillow tightly over the area to help lessen the pain while deep breathing or coughing.

Go to ER: At ER, the team would check vital signs, talk to you, examine you, listen to your lungs & get a chest x-ray to look for rib fractures, lung bruising & maybe even air where it's not supposed to be. If you have osteopenia/osteoporosis you are at increased risk. If on a blood thinner, bruising can get serious. They can also give you pain medicine. You would benefit from incentive spirometer as well.