Sociedad Espanola del Dolor

What Sociedad Espanola del Dolor does

The Sociedad Española del Dolor (SED) is a nonprofit professional medical association founded in June 1990 and headquartered at P.º de la Castellana 241, Madrid, Spain. It functions as the official Spanish chapter of both the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) — which represents professionals across 134 countries — and the European Pain Federation (EFIC), which represents 36 European chapters and over 20,000 health professionals. The society's stated mission is to promote scientific research on pain mechanisms and treatment, raise awareness about pain, and improve patient therapy. It targets a clinical burden in which 25.9% of the Spanish population (approximately 12 million people) is affected by chronic pain, and where roughly 50% of primary care consultations in Spain involve a pain-related complaint.

SED's core offerings span scientific publishing, professional education, certification coordination, and event management. The principal product is the RESED journal (Revista de la Sociedad Española del Dolor), published in Spanish and English with open access. The society runs a Master's program in Pain Medicine (next edition January 2026), coordinates the three European Pain Federation diplomas (EDPM, EDPN, EDPP) in Spain, and organizes the annual National Congress — with the 23rd edition scheduled for May 12-14, 2027 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. A digital training platform and 22-24 specialized working groups (covering areas from primary care, neuromodulation, and radiofrequency to pediatric pain, digital technology, and cannabinoids) complete the educational surface. Technology is not proprietary in the product sense; SED operates as a knowledge and standards organization rather than a technology vendor, relying on standard digital infrastructure for member services, online training, and event delivery.

The business model is a typical professional-association revenue stack: recurring annual membership dues from 1,000+ healthcare professional members (physicians, pharmacologists, psychologists, nurses, physiotherapists) form the base, augmented by event and registration fees (over 800 professionals attended the 14th Congress in 2017), tuition from educational programs (including a co-developed 6 ECTS diploma with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos sponsored by Viatris), institutional endorsements ("Aval SED"), and pharmaceutical-industry sponsorship from companies such as Kern Pharma, Viatris, and Grünenthal. Distribution is direct to individual professionals and channeled via partnerships with hospitals, pain units, regional medical societies (SEMERGEN, Colegio de Fisioterapeutas de Madrid), and academic institutions (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Rovira i Virgili). Pricing for memberships and programs is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Sociedad Espanola del Dolor

Legal name

Sociedad Española del Dolor

Website

https://sedolor.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sociedad Española del Dolor (SED) is a nonprofit Spanish medical association founded in 1990 that serves over 1,000 healthcare professionals in pain medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and psychology through scientific publishing, annual congresses, certification programs, and 22+ working groups, while representing Spain as the official IASP and EFIC chapter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Pain Medicine Association

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Pain Medicine (Interventional/Neuropathic Pain) (HLAKAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM), Pain Management Clinics (Interventional & Medical) (HLAFABAH), Pain Management & Interventional Procedure Centers (HLAFAIAH)

Keywords

• Pain medicine society
• Medical professional association
• Continuing medical education
• Pain management training
• Scientific research dissemination

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Membership Dues: SED generates revenue through annual membership fees from over 1,000 healthcare professional members including physicians, pharmacologists, psychologists, nurses, and physiotherapists.
2. Educational Programs and Events: Revenue from Master programs, specialized courses, congresses, and working group activities. The society offers a Master in Pain Medicine, diploma programs in collaboration with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, and various continuing education courses.
3. Endorsement and Sponsorship: SED provides institutional endorsement for research initiatives and educational programs, with collaboration from pharmaceutical companies and healthcare foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sociedad Espanola del Dolor is a nonprofit professional medical association that promotes scientific research on pain, raises public and institutional awareness of pain as a health problem, and improves patient treatment through education and clinical standards. Its core deliverables for healthcare professionals include the RESED open-access scientific journal, a Master's program in Pain Medicine, annual national congresses, European Pain Federation diploma examinations (medicine, nursing, physiotherapy), specialized courses, and 24 multidisciplinary working groups spanning acute, chronic, neuropathic, oncologic, pediatric, and musculoskeletal pain.

Product overview

The Sociedad Española del Dolor operates as a professional medical association rather than a product company. Its core offerings include the RESED scientific journal, annual national congresses, the Master's in Pain Medicine, European pain certification diplomas, and a digital training platform. The organization coordinates 24 specialized working groups covering various pain-related specialties. These offerings are interconnected: the journal and congresses disseminate research, while the training programs and working groups build professional capacity in pain management across Spain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RESED: Revista de la Sociedad Española del Dolor - Official journal of the Spanish Pain Society that disseminates rigorous multidisciplinary scientific research on pain management with international scope and open access

Products and services

• RESED - Revista de la Sociedad Espanola del Dolor Official open-access scientific journal publishing multidisciplinary pain research for healthcare professionals and researchers in Spain and internationally.
• Master de Formacion Permanente en Medicina del Dolor Comprehensive master's program in pain medicine for medical specialists seeking advanced training in pain management, delivered through online and practical components.
• 23rd SED Congress (23 Congreso Nacional SED) Annual national congress bringing together pain specialists across Spain to discuss latest research, innovations, and clinical approaches in pain management.
• European Pain Federation Diploma in Pain Medicine (EDPM) European diploma examination for medical specialists in pain medicine coordinated in Spain by SED, with virtual and in-person exam formats.
• European Diploma in Pain Nursing (EDPN) European diploma examination for nursing professionals specializing in pain management, coordinated in Spain by SED.
• European Diploma in Pain Physiotherapy (EDPP) European diploma examination for physiotherapists specializing in pain management, coordinated in Spain by SED.
• Diploma de Especializacion en el Tratamiento Farmacologico del Dolor 2026 Specialization diploma (6 ECTS credits) in pharmacological treatment of pain for healthcare professionals, offered in collaboration with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and Viatris.
• Formacion Digital Platform Online learning platform offering updated and innovative pain-related education, including working group sessions and congress content for SED members.
• Salud Digital y Dolor 2026 guide Guide for healthcare professionals on digital health and pain management, part of the SEDTECH book project addressing technology and pain.
• Working Groups (Grupos de Trabajo SED) Specialized thematic working groups covering 24 areas of pain medicine for SED members to advance research and practice in specific pain conditions and treatments.

Quantifiable outcome

• SED represents professionals from 134 countries through IASP membership and 36 European chapters through EFIC
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Co-development of Diploma de Especialización en el Tratamiento Farmacológico del Dolor 2026, a 6-credit ECTS specialized diploma program for healthcare professionals. Collaboration with Viatris for this continuing education initiative.
• Colegio de Fisioterapeutas de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2024Joint organization of the Congress of Pain and Physiotherapy (October 18-20, 2024) at IFEMA Madrid, the largest congress on pain from a physiotherapy perspective. The congress aims to promote a multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain. Initial research grant of 20,000 euros created for multidisciplinary research.
• SEMERGEn (Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2017Joint development of a referral protocol for Primary Care to Pain Units for patients with neuropathic pain. The protocol was created in collaboration with Kern Pharma and addresses the fact that 50% of primary care consultations involve pain and 25% involve neuropathic pain. Includes criteria for 10 most common pathologies including diabetic neuropathy, trigeminal neuralgia, and radiculopathy.
• ViatrisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and SED for the Diploma de Especialización en el Tratamiento Farmacológico del Dolor 2026 program.
• IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSED is the official Spanish chapter of IASP, which represents health professionals and scientists from 134 countries. IASP is the reference organization for pain issues at the World Health Organization level.
• EFIC (European Pain Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSED is the official Spanish chapter of EFIC, which is composed of 36 European chapters representing over 20,000 health professionals. EFIC organizes the European Pain Congress and coordinates European diplomas in pain medicine, nursing, and physiotherapy.
• SIP España (Societal Impact of Pain)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIP España is the Spanish chapter of SIP Europe, an international multi-stakeholder platform created as a joint initiative of EFIC and Grünenthal to raise awareness of pain's societal impact.
• Pain Institute of Spain (PIOS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSED supports the Curso Integral de formación avanzada en el manejo del dolor by PIOS, offered in hybrid format with online theory and practical workshop at UCM Faculty of Medicine.
• SENSARminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement signed between SED and SENSAR to improve patient safety for patients with pain.
• Fundación GrünenthalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on summer courses at Universidad Complutense de Madrid focused on pain management strategies and patient involvement.
• Fundación Española del Dolor (FED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFED is the foundation associated with SED for promoting research in pain science. FED awards doctoral thesis prizes (3,000 euros for four best theses) and research grants for SED members.
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for summer courses on pain management strategies organized by SED with collaboration from Fundación Grünenthal and FED.
• Universidad Rovira i VirgiliminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Cátedra de Dolor Infantil (Childhood Pain Chair) established in 2015 with Fundación Grünenthal to research and raise awareness about childhood pain.
• Plataforma de Organizaciones de PacientesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on patient-centered approaches to chronic pain management, with emphasis on patient voice and involvement in care decisions.

Scale indicators5 records

Broad incumbents

• European Pain Federation (EFIC): Federation of 36 European national pain chapters including SED. EFIC coordinates the European Pain Congress, European Diplomas (EDPM/EDPP/EDPN), and pan-European advocacy — a regional umbrella over national societies like SED.
• International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP): Global peak body for pain science with 134 country chapters; SED is the Spanish chapter. IASP sets research agendas, publishes PAIN journal, and influences WHO policy — operating at a broader, international scope than SED.

Direct peers

• Société Française d'Étude et de Traitement de la Douleur (SFETD): French Pain Society representing pain specialists, researchers, and allied professionals. Most direct geographic and structural peer to SED as a Romance-language multidisciplinary national society.
• Associazione Italiana per lo Studio del Dolore (AISD): Italian Association for the Study of Pain, the Italian EFIC/IASP chapter. Closely comparable professional society model with similar multidisciplinary membership, congress activities, and educational programming.
• British Pain Society: UK national multidisciplinary pain society providing education, conferences, and clinical guidelines for pain specialists. Direct national-chapter peer to SED with comparable member-based model, annual congress, and working group structure.
• American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM): US-based multidisciplinary medical society for pain medicine physicians. Comparable scope in education, advocacy, and certification, with a much larger member base that signals the scale opportunity for established pain societies.
• Asociación Portuguesa para el Estudio del Dolor (APED): Portuguese Association for the Study of Pain, the closest Iberian peer to SED. Both serve linguistically and culturally aligned healthcare communities in the Iberian Peninsula, with overlapping EFIC chapter affiliations.
• Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft: German Pain Society, the largest national pain society in Europe. Comparable multidisciplinary scope, certification programs, and congress franchise, with stronger research infrastructure that benchmarks SED's potential trajectory.

Others

• Fundación Española del Dolor (FED): Spanish foundation associated with SED that funds pain research and doctoral thesis prizes. Sister-organization relationship — not a competitor, but the primary research-grant vehicle complementing SED's educational work.
• Societal Impact of Pain (SIP): Multi-stakeholder platform co-created by EFIC and Grünenthal to raise awareness of pain's societal impact; SED operates SIP España. Adjacent advocacy entity rather than a direct member-services competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sedolor
• Facebookfacebook.com/SociedadEspanolaDolor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sociedad Espanola del Dolor