Nerve Function Spinal misalignment, nerve compression or irritation, and other kinds of stress can affect many areas of your nervous system. This can seriously impair nerve function, and interfere with the normal operation of every cell, tissue, and organ those nerves control. The effects of nervous system dysfunction can be caused by several areas of the spine. Click on the each of the 5 sections of the spine at left to see what organs and tissues can be affected when there are problems with that section of the spine.