6. Statistical analysis: before entering further analysis, scores obtained in the Fugl Meyer and FIM functional scales will enter Levene's test to assess homogeneity of variance in the two groups. Following this, a mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA), with time (T1, T2, T3, T4) as a within-participant factor and group (case, control) as a between-participants factor, will be carried out on the scores. To identify the source of significant differences among means, post-hoc analysis will be performed using the Newman Keuls test. The significance level for post-hoc comparisons will be set at 0.05. To further test the efficacy of treatment, functional score gain (D: score at T3 minus score at T2) will be calculated for each group and a planned t-test for independent samples performed.