RELATED VIDEO CNN's Holly Firfer reports on research that takes a new look at sciatic nerve pain Windows Media 28K 80K

From Medical Correspondent Holly Firfer

BOSTON (CNN) -- Those who have experienced sciatic nerve pain know that it can be excruciating and often debilitating, and doctors usually recommend a few days to a few weeks of bed rest to treat this fairly common injury.

But now, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds saying in bed for weeks may be a waste of time. Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs coupled with a decrease in activity may be just as effective, researchers say.

The sciatic nerve is actually a cluster of nerves that run from the lower back in the buttock area down the back of the leg.

When there's pressure on, or inflammation of, the nerve roots, there's usually a burning or electrical-type pain, which can be accompanied by tingling or numbness in the leg or foot.

"In the majority of people, there is no single event that you can identify," says neurosurgeon Dr. Gerald Godts. "People just sort of notice the onset of vague back pain. That's usually how it begins, and then within a day or two, it spreads to the leg."

Dutch researchers who studied patients with sciatica found that those who stayed in bed for long periods of time did not heal any faster than those who took it easy and took anti-inflammatory drugs.

Half of the 183 sciatica suffers who participated in the study were ordered to their beds for two weeks. The rest were given painkillers and encouraged to get on with their lives.

After two weeks, 70 percent in the bed rest group felt better, compared to 65 percent who were not confined to bed. But after 12 weeks, 87 percent in both groups reported improvement.

The likelihood that a patient would need surgery to relieve the sciatica was also the same for both groups, as was the intensity of any lingering pain they felt and the amount of painkillers they took.

The new study comes at a time when medical researchers are showing that bed rest is an ineffective treatment for similar problems, such as routine lower back pain. Lengthy bed rest also comes with its own set of complications.

"Some things can happen when you're down for that long," Godts said. "Your muscles can get deconditioned. Some people that are prone to getting blood clots in their legs might have something like that happen. You can become constipated."

Doctors caution that patients will feel pain while recovering and shouldn't overexert themselves -- no lifting heavy objects nor running. People who want to exercise should stretch out beforehand.

Reuters contributed to this report.