Sylvester Stallone refused surgery after tearing his bicep during a stunt for upcoming film The Tomb because he is sick of undergoing operations to treat movie-related injuries.

The hardman, who performs his own stunt work, has undergone procedures on his back, neck, shoulders and leg since shooting 2010's The Expendables and his latest project resulted in another medical emergency.

However, Stallone does not want the damage repaired during an operation as it may ruin his tattoo tribute to wife Jennifer.

He tells Britain's Hello! magazine, "I really shouldn't (carry on doing stunts) because it comes at a very serious price. I've had so many operations, I'm more like a robot than a human being.

"Since The Expendables in 2010, I've had two back operations, my neck is fused, I've had both my shoulders done and I've just had 70 stitches on my leg because the Achilles tendon exploded - yeah, that was a bad one.

"When I was shooting my next film, The Tomb, I tore my bicep. The doctor goes, 'Do you want to operate?' I go, 'No, forget it, I don't care. I'm not going through any more operations - besides, there's a tattoo of my wife there that I want to keep.'

"I guess I should use more stunt doubles than I do but for some reason I enjoy doing them. It's just a crazy challenge I can't resist."