If the New York Knicks aren't careful with Carmelo Anthony's back spasms, they could put their star at risk for further back issues later in the season, according to one sports medicine expert.

"He can wind up battling this all season if it's not shut down appropriately to let him heal up," says Dr. Neil Roth, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and the tending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Anthony first felt back spasms late in the first half of Monday's game against the Houston Rockets. He missed Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks and is doubtful for Friday's tilt against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher told reporters on Friday that Anthony is progressing well and he has not been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Miami Heat.

Roth, who has not examined Anthony's injury, says lower back issues are common among NBA players.

"I would bet that the majority of NBA players, if you took x-rays of their lower back and MRIs of their lower back, have some element of degenerative back issues," Roth says.

Anthony's back issues appear to be minor. According to reports, he participated in shooting drills before Friday's loss to Oklahoma City. He said that the spasms are a muscle issue and not related to any disc ailment.

This is significant because Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire dealt with spasms that were a result of disc irritation in 2011. They first flared up during the playoffs. Stoudemire missed most of one game and all of another but returned to appear in the Knicks' playoff game that season. He played through significant pain to do so. The issue resurfaced for Stoudemire in March of the subsequent season and the power forward was shut down for six weeks.

"Back spasms is nothing easy to deal with," Stoudemire said earlier this week. "Your whole body shuts down, it affects your central nervous system. It affects your entire body."

The fact that Anthony's spasms are the result of a muscle issue -- and not a disc issue -- should lead to a quicker recovery.

"If it's just a lower back muscular spasm, once the nerve calms down and the muscle calms down, you can recover and go back to your activity again," Roth says.

Anthony's status is uncertain for Sunday's game against the Miami Heat. They are 0-2 without him.

Question: What is your level of concern regarding Carmelo Anthony's back at this point?

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