Fixture congestion, medicines abuse and short recovery times are a "recipe" for athlete injuries, a surgeon warned.
Northampton-based Prof Bill Ribbans has operated on Michael Schumacher, Paula Radcliffe and England rugby players.
In football, three Premier League managers have complained about player injury and burnout in recent days.
Prof Ribbans warned about anti-inflammatory drugs and said "pushing players back before they're ready" was "setting them up for the next hit".
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola have expressed frustration, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed criticism of match timings, despite Manchester United's 3-1 win at Everton.