GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire will undergo non-surgical treatment and rehabilitation for the bulging disk in his lower back and is expected to be out approximately two to four weeks, the team said Wednesday.
The Knicks also were without point guard Jeremy Lin for Wednesday night's victory over the Orlando Magic. Lin has missed two games because of a sore left knee. Interim coach Mike Woodson is not sure if Lin will return for Friday's game against Atlanta.
"He's just going through the treatment process and he could be day to day. How long that is I have no idea," Woodson said after Wednesday morning's shootaround.
Woodson hopes to get Stoudemire back as soon as possible.
"He's a big piece of this puzzle," the coach said. "But I want him to be healthy when he comes back and not [to] come back trying to play hurt. That's the most important thing."
Stoudemire's treatment will include an epidural, an attempt to lessen the pain associated with the bulging disk. For now, he will eschew surgery, which would have sidelined him for the rest of the season.
If he returns in two weeks, Stoudemire will be back for the final nine games of the regular season. If his rehab lasts four weeks, he will return for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, should the Knicks get there.
The Knicks currently are 2½ games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Both Stoudemire and Lin originally suffered injuries in the second half of Saturday's win over the Detroit Pistons.
Forward Carmelo Anthony (strained right groin) was questionable for Wednesday's game, but he played and scored 25 points.
Anthony tweaked his groin in the third quarter on Monday night.
Woodson will use Steve Novak and Josh Harrellson more with Stoudemire out. Jared Jeffries, a reserve forward, would be another candidate to replace Stoudmemire, but he is out for at least another week with a knee ailment.
Stoudemire has had back issues in the past.
The 29-year-old pulled a muscle in his back during the 2011 playoffs. He needed most of the NBA's five-month lockout to rehab the injury, playing in a 5-on-5 game just once during the lockout. He struggled early in the shortened 66-game season, but Stoudemire appeared to be getting his rhythm back recently, averaging 18 points per game on 57 percent shooting in his past five games.
ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell said that back disk injuries such as Stoudemire's can lead to numbness and weakness in the lower body, if the disk compromises a nerve. It is unclear if Stoudemire is experiencing such numbness.
Bell, a licensed physical therapist, said that generally, a disk injury can be treated non-surgically with ice, rest and anti-inflammation medications.
Wellington Hsu, a spine specialist and assistant professor at Northwestern, said surgery would be a "last-resort" option if non-surgical rehabilitation was ineffective.
If Stoudemire underwent surgery, Hsu said he may have to wait 10 to 12 weeks before he started training.
Ian Begley is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.