The force of an impulse is augmented by the greater speed in transit. The bounding back of an impulse is known as reflex action. Displaced bones cause pressure upon nerves and consequent tension and deranged function. Slight deflections of vertebrae cause pressure on the nerves given off by the spinal cord, functional derangements are the result. By restoring them to their normal position, normal function is restored.
Nerve fibers possess the property of conducting impulses outward and inward.
The amount of impulsive force is determined by the rate of transmission, the rate of that action upon the quantity of vibration and the amount of that movement upon tension. Physiological and pathological activity between peripheral end-organs and their central connection is dependent upon nerve tension. The specific energy of a nerve is due to its anatomical structure, its elasticity and tension. A nerve pressed upon by a fractured or a luxated bone would be stretched were it not for the responsive principle of life which resists pressure. The impulsive force normally conveyed by the nerve is modified by the elastic resistance known as renitency.